The Last Sunrise
by Nyneve
Summary: It all starts with the disappearence of a young Preventor. From there, it escalates into a secret war between two powers thought dead. Humanity must once again take up arms, but this time, it's for the survival of the world as they know it.
1. Segment 1

I own nothing.

The Last Sunrise

Segment 1:  Twilight

_            In the thirtieth century of the Common Era, it is said that an invasion of a people from beyond the stars descended upon Earth.  With supreme technology, power, and a large population, it seemed that a global holocaust and a massacre of all of Earth's citizens was unavoidable._

_            Then a young girl appeared.  Calling herself Serenity, she was armed with a crystal called the Ginzuishou, and supported by eight Senshi.  She challenged the leader of the invasion to a battle, and won.  The people from beyond the stars departed in fear, and the Earth was saved._

_            As gratitude to the girl called Serenity, the people of Earth crowned her Queen, and an era of peace descended upon the planet.  The power of the Ginzuishou took root on Earth, and protected and preserved it's people.  The average life span was extended by centuries, and people no longer knew pestilence or disease._

_            Neo-Queen Serenity married her lover, a man called Endymion, and gave birth to the Crown Princess of Neo-Earth, Princess Small Lady Serenity.  She chose the city of Tokyo as the global capital, and it became a place of irrefutable beauty.  The Royal Family and the eight Senshi made their home in the Crystal Palace of Crystal Tokyo, and governed the Earth for many centuries._

_            But then came the Second Invasion.  The people from beyond the stars returned, this time with an even greater strength.  However, their invasion was unknown to the rulers of Neo-Earth, for they did not attack directly.  Rather, they inserted themselves amongst the population of the planet, and slowly began to organize a revolution against the Royal Family and the Senshi._

_            The revolt was totally unexpected.  The Crystal Palace was destroyed and the rulers were sent into hiding.  Though the Senshi were capable of killing the revolutionaries, Serenity ordered them not to.  For though she had been betrayed, she still loved her planet and her people more than life itself.  Thus, she ordered that the Senshi disband and live as average citizens amidst the populace.  When the time was right, she would reassume her position as the queen and bring the peace back.  Reluctantly, they agreed, and dispersed themselves across the globe._

_            Although the Ginzuishou had been saved from the destruction at the Crystal Palace, its effects on the people were lost.  Excluding the former rulers, the life-giving effects were totally obliterated from the people.  Life spans grew short again, and the people grew sick.  During Serenity's rule, the planet was governed as one nation, but no longer.  Countries reassumed their individual control over the citizens, and frequently declared war on each other._

_            It was at this time space exploration, which had been researched minimally during Serenity's reign, began to take precedence over all else.  Soon, constructions of colonies began, and people began to live in space.  Thus ended the Common Era, and began the age After Colonization._

_Serenity's reign became a legend, as did the existence of the Senshi and the people from beyond the stars. But both sides still waited, biding their time until control could be reestablished over the Earth and space…_

__

            Sally Po rubbed her temples as she stared at the reports on her desk.  The stack was daunting, and would take several hours, if not days, to go through.  She glanced over at Wufei's desk in the corner of the office.  He too was burdened with a daunting tower of papers, but as usual, he said nothing and went about his work efficiently without complaint.

            _Damn him for being so perfect_ she thought as the door opened.  A young intern stepped inside and saluted to her superiors.

            "Ms. Po, Mr. Chang," she addressed.

            Sally looked up at her.  "More paperwork for us, Kino?"

            The girl grinned and shook her head.  "No ma'am.  I just wanted you to know the Secretary of Defense is on line five.  He'd like to speak with you."

            "Thanks, Lita," Sally replied, picking up the phone.

            "It's nothing, Ms. Po," Lita replied, going back outside.

            "Sally Po, Department of Investigation, speaking," Sally replied.

            "Hi, Sally.  This is Roderick Bailey," the voice on the other end said.

            "Good afternoon, Secretary.  How can I help you?"

            "We've got a situation in Romania, Sally.  It would appear there's been a small, somewhat violent group formed there that's been causing a bit of trouble."

            "Somewhat violent, sir?"

            "Vandalism mostly.  They haven't attack people, but there was a great deal of damaged property found in three of the colonial embassies.  We're talking more than just spray paint as well.  Threatening messages were burned onto the walls of many of the rooms, several personal vehicles were destroyed, not to many several hundred thousand dollars worth of damage was done to the computer systems.  All of it seems to be related to prejudice against the colonies, which as I'm sure you know, has been treated very seriously since the war ten years ago.  Local police forces thought they could handle the problem themselves, but they're having some difficulty.  It seemed best to bring in the Preventors.  It's nothing pressing, but we'd still appreciate it if you'd send a person or two to Romania to check things out."

            "Is Lady Une aware of this?"

            "Yes, I spoke to her earlier.  She suggested I bring the problem to you."

            "I see.  Well, I'll tell you what I can do.  If you can have a contact waiting at the Budapest spaceport in Hungary, I'll have someone on a shuttle there by tonight at the latest."

            "All right, I have just the person.  Her name is Anya Karikov.  She will be waiting at the spaceport at midnight tonight.  Have your person there by then."

            "Done."

            "Thank you for your help, Sally.  Good bye."

            "Good bye," she hung up the phone.

            "What is it?" Wufei asked without looking up from the reports.

            Sally took a drink of coffee from her mug.  "Vandal group in Romania.  I'll send one of the interns to have a look."

            Wufei stopped and looked at her.  "You think that's a good idea?"

            "Lita Kino is capable of handling this, I think.  I'll have her check in with you periodically, if you like," she answered.

            He shrugged.  "Whatever."

            Sally smiled slightly.  She enjoyed teasing her partner about the pretty brunette intern.  He didn't seem to like her, but Lita was never afraid to shoot him a flirtatious glance.  It was too bad Wufei wasn't interested in anything that didn't involve work.

            She pressed the speakerphone button and asked Lita to come into the office.  A few moments later, the tall young lady was standing in front of her desk.

            "Yes, Ms. Po?" she asked.

            "Lita, that call I just got from the secretary of defense was about a vandalism situation in Romania.  I'd like you to go check things out for us."

            Lita's emerald eyes sparkled with a light of ambition.  "I'd be happy to, ma'am."

            "Good.  This shouldn't take more than a day or two, so why don't you go home and grab a change of clothes, then report back here and take a shuttle to the Budapest spaceport.  I'll make arrangements for your docking and prepare the info we've received so far.  Your contact at the spaceport is named Anya Karikov.  Any questions?"

            "No, ma'am."

            "All right then, you're set.  Check in with Wufei every few hours though.  Just to be on the safe side," Sally finished.

            "Of course, Ms. Po.  I'd better get going then," Lita said, reaching for the door.

            "Don't be nervous, Kino.  This is just a routine check.  Your training should have you more than prepared in case something should go wrong," Sally said reassuringly.

            Lita smiled and saluted, her ponytail swaying slightly as she cocked her head.  "Right.  I'll check back with you in a bit!"

            With that, she headed out the door.

            Quatre Raberba Winner also sat at his desk rubbing his temples in pain as he eyed a daunting stack of reports on his desk.  It was remarkable how in only ten years the spirited young rebel soldier had morphed into a tired executive permanently imprisoned at a desk.  As head of the construction dynasty owned by his family, he knew it was a duty that had been placed on him even before his birth.  However, that didn't stop him from wistfully daydreaming about the dangerous, though less boring days of his youth.  Though he was technically a member of the Preventors, the most he'd had to do with the organization was the faithful financial support he'd provided to them through the years.  He occasionally heard from Wufei, and was sometimes visited by Duo and Trowa, but the contact had been minimal.  However, the Maganac continued to protect him (along with his aunt and the few sisters that still lived at home), and he was grateful for their company.

            The door to his study suddenly opened.

            "Yes?" Quatre asked, lifting his head.  His aunt Haruka stood in front of the desk, disdainfully eyeing the stack of papers.

            "Thought I ought to come check on you; make sure you're not overworking again," she answered, still not looking at him.  Quatre sighed.  He'd grown accustomed to Haruka's brusqueness through the years.  She wasn't his biological aunt, but a girlhood friend of his mother's who had visited him sporadically during his childhood, then moved in to "keep track of him" once he'd assumed his position as president of the Winner Corporation.

            "It's just a few letters from the colony's agricultural board; nothing to be worried about," he said, though he knew she didn't believe a word of it.

            Haruka's navy eyes studied his face hard.  It was amazing how she never seemed to age; she appeared in front of him now almost exactly as she had when he was nine.  Her hair was a little shorter, giving her an even more boyish appearance, but nonetheless, she was still very attractive.

            "If I weren't one hundred percent sure that you're one of the most dangerous men in the colonies, I'd accuse you of being walked on," she commented.

            "Haruka…"

            "I'm serious, Quatre.  Your father _never_ had to do this much work.  I'm going to be frank.  You're a shrewd politician, but you aren't being _nearly_ as intimidating as he was."

            Quatre sighed.  Though Haruka never really cared for his father, she did respect him as a politician and had a habit of comparing him to his son.  Luckily, Quatre had become accustomed to it, but it did bother him on occasion.  Especially whenever Haruka told him that he had to be more intimidating.  Or more ambitious.  Or more threatening.

            "I'm sorry Haruka.  But I'd rather have extra paperwork than extra enemies.  At the moment, there's no one that _really_ hates us.  I'd like to keep things between the Winner family and the rest of the colonies positive, or neutral at the very least."

            Haruka rolled her eyes.  "You should at least hire some help with the paperwork."

            Her nephew grinned slyly.  "Are you offering your assistance, Auntie?"

            She barked out a short laugh.  "Hell no.  Hire your own damn secretary."

            "I love you too, Auntie."

            "Stop calling me that."

            Quatre opened his mouth to say something more, when the phone rang.  Holding up a finger to Haruka, who rolled her eyes as if to say _I told you so_, he sat down and picked up the receiver.

            "Winner speaking," he replied.

            "Quatre," the voice on the other end greeted shortly.

            "Wufei?" Quatre's face brightened.  "It's been ages!  How've you been?"

            "Fine.  But this isn't a pleasure call," Wufei answered, serious as always.  "We need your help."

            "We?" he asked, shooting a glance at Haruka.

            "The Preventors.  There's been an incident with one of our interns.  She's a native of L4, so we thought the most prominent man on the colony should get involved," Wufei explained.  "It might be a good idea to have an ex-Gundam pilot along."

            Quatre's face fell slightly.  He was hoping the call wasn't a sign of yet another impending conflict.

            "Where do you need me and when do you need me there by?" he asked, his resolve firming.

            "Budapest, preferably in ten hours or less," Wufei answered.

            "Are the others coming too?"

            "Depends if they feel like heading off another war."

            With that he hung up.

            Haruka raised an eyebrow as Quatre set the phone down.  "Well?" she asked.

            "That was Chang Wufei.  The Preventors want me in Budapest," he answered.

            For one brief moment, Haruka's confident expression was shattered by a look of bewilderment and, or maybe it was just his imagination, fear.  "Why the hell do they want you to go to Budapest?"

            "Something happened to an intern who lived here on the colony.  I'm not sure what happened, but it didn't sound good.  Can you look after things for me here?" he asked.

            Haruka shook her head.  "No way.  Leave Althea in charge; she's good at the business aspect," she said, thinking of Quatre's sister.  "I think I'll go with you.  I've got a couple of friends on Earth I'd like to check in with anyways."

            If he hadn't been so preoccupied with Wufei's call, Quatre might have been intrigued by her last comment.  Though he'd known Haruka all his life, he knew very little about her, save for the fact that she had gone to school with his mother in the colonies.  The fact that she had friends on Earth revealed a bit about her past.

            However, there was no time to dwell on this, because he had to arrange for a transport to Earth as soon as physically possible.

            Duo Maxwell pulled his jacket closer around him as he walked down the busy streets of Budapest towards the luxurious Parliament Hotel.  It had been years since he'd had anything to do with the organization.  For the first couple of years after the war had ended, he had lived with Hilde and worked as a scrap dealer, handling a few intelligence missions as they came up.  Sadly, Hilde had been diagnosed with a severe form of cancer four years ago, and had died within twelve months.

            Life had changed for the happy-go-lucky man then.  He smiled less, spoke less, and didn't go outside very often.  After getting a small apartment in Buenos Aires, he took a job as a technician for a company that built shuttles.  His heart had healed from the loss of the woman he would've married, but his life was much more dull without the cute little germen girl he'd met during the darkest period of his life.

            But things became interesting again when he received a phone call from Chang Wufei asking him to come to Budapest to help with an operation that had gone awry when something happened to an intern that had been sent to deal with some hate crime vandalism going on at the colonial embassy in Romania.  So it was with a hurry to escape the cold wind and cold thoughts that Duo headed to the hotel.

            Upon entering the bright, cheerful lobby, he walked to the front desk.

            "Excuse me.  I'm Mr. Maxwell, here to meet a Ms. Sally Po in the presidential suite," he explained the teal-haired lady behind the desk.

            "Oh yes, she's expecting you.  Go on up.  Top floor, suite 9," she said with a smile.

            He nodded to her and smiled slightly.  "Thanks," he answered, and crossed the lobby into the elevator.  He pressed the button for the twelfth floor and leaned back against the wall.  Then, somewhere around the seventh floor, a figure in a black ski mask entered the elevator.  He, (Duo assumed it was a he, but the figure had a very slight build and could've been a skinny girl), closed the door and waited for the elevator to resume its ascent.  Between the ninth and tenth floors, he suddenly looked over.

            "Duo Maxwell?" the voice was low and didn't say much for the gender.

            He slowly turned his head.  "Yeah?"

            The lips revealed through the ski mask smiled and the figure slammed its hand against the emergency stop button.  "I've been sent to kill you.  Say goodbye."

            Before Duo knew what was happening, there was a knife slashing towards his face.  But his street sharpened reflexes were still strong.  His forearm flew up and knocked his attackers wrist so hard the knife went flying.  Wishing he had a gun, he dove for the knife and managed to grab the handle.  Then he looked in the blade, and realized he'd made a deadly mistake; he'd turned his back on the figure.

            Quickly, he turned the blade down and clenched his teeth as he felt a blow from either the foot or hand land in the middle of his lower back.  At the last second, he rolled away, saving his spinal cord from snapping.  This had caught his opponent by surprise, and after quickly springing to his feet he slammed the figure's head against the wall of the elevator.  A groan emitted from his adversary's mouth as it slunk to the floor.

            Duo stretched triumphantly.  "Still got it.  And now to see who our villain is…"

            He reached down and pulled off the mask.  The face was young, very young.  The person could not be more than twelve years old, and only just barely that.  Strawberry blond hair was cut short, and there was a large red bump forming on the side of the head.  But still, the gender could not be determined.

            Narrowing his eyes, Duo stowed the knife in his pocket and opened the escape hatch.    He climbed up the cables to the next landing, then opened the doors.  He was relieved to find no one around as he casually shut the doors, walked down the hallways to the stairs, and climbed the remaining two floors.

            He knocked on the door of Suite 9, and was answered by a tall young man with sandy blond hair and sapphire eyes.  The man raised an eyebrow.

            "Can I help you?" he asked.

            "Yeah, I'm here to see Sally and Wufei," Duo answered.

            The man opened his mouth to say something but was pushed aside by a shorter, blonder man whose eyes were a brighter shade of blue.

            "Duo!" he cried.

            "Hey Quatre!  Hey man, what's up?" Duo asked, shaking Quatre's hand firmly.  His friend had hardly changed through all the years.

            Quatre smiled.  Duo was the same old Duo.  They had all been saddened to learn of Hilde's death, but it was good to see that the braided American pilot was recovering personality-wise.

            "You'll have to excuse Haruka.  She's not the greatest at making a warm welcome," he said, smiling at his aunt.

            "_She?_" Duo blinked, looking back at the young man, or rather, woman, who had greeted him.

            Haruka smirked slightly.  "Well, that should be about everyone.  I'm going out for a bit.  I'll see you later, Quatre."

            With that, she headed out the door and disappeared down the hall.

            Quatre and Duo proceeded into the living room where Wufei and Sally were waiting.  Also with them was the quiet auburn haired man known as Trowa Barton.  The three all looked up when the two men entered, but Sally was the only one to stand up and say hello.  Wufei just rolled his eyes at Duo and Trowa nodded and rested his face against his clasped hands.

            Duo looked around.  "Nice little reunion we've got going on here.  Who're we still waiting for?"

            "Lady Une," Wufei answered, checking his watch.  "She's late."

            "She's a busy lady," he shrugged.  "So wait…is Heero coming?"

           "He's here," Trowa answered, glancing towards a door near the windows.  Sure enough, as if on cue, Heero Yuy walked through the door.

            "Hey, long time no see!" Duo grinned, slapping his friend on the back.

            Heero shot his signature death glare as usual, and as usual, Duo ignored it.

            "Quite a little reunion we've got here," Sally commented.  "Too bad we couldn't get Zechs, Noin, and Relena."

            "This isn't exactly the best time to be looking back on fond memories," Wufei said sarcastically.

            Sally smirked.  "Glad you found them 'fond'."

            At that moment the door opened.

            "Finally," Wufei said, standing up.  "What took you so long L-"

            He stopped.

            It was not Lady Une that had walked through the door.


	2. Segment 2

I Own Nothing

Segment 2:

The Last Light on the Horizon

_Summary:_

_            Ten years have passed since the Eve Wars.  It is now AC 207, and a small vandal group has emerged in Romania. After a young intern from the Preventors, Lita Kino, is involved in an undisclosed event during her investigation, Sally Po and Chang Wufei gather the former Gundam pilots from around the ESUN.  While in Budapest, Duo Maxwell is attacked by an unknown assassin, but manages to subdue them.  Finally, the pilots gather at the Parliament Hotel and wait for the head of the Preventors, Lady Une, to arrive.  However, they are met by someone else…_

            "Who the hell are you?" Duo blinked at the woman who walked in.  She was tall, dressed in a maroon business suit (with a short skirt that showed off her long legs nicely, he noticed) the same color as her eyes.  Her hair was long and ivy green, pulled away from her face in a bun.  The exotic look was enhanced by her smooth olive skin tone.

            The woman smiled slightly.  "I'm sorry.  Lady Une was unable to meet with you, so I took the liberty of visiting myself."

            Her smile disappeared suddenly when she heard a click and saw Heero's gun pointed at her.  Sighing, she reassumed the calm, emotionless expression she'd worn upon her entrance.

            "Please put the gun down, Mr. Yuy.  We really don't have time for this," she said.

            "Oh, I think we do," Sally replied, drawing a gun herself.  "I think there's a few questions you're going to have to answer."

            The woman was silent, then reached inside her jacket.  A split second later, a gunshot went off.  She winced and dropped something on the floor.

            "Keep your hands where I can see them," Heero said as he kept his firm grip on the smoking gun, then stepped forward to retrieve the fallen object.

            Quatre noticed the bleeding wound on the woman's hand and gave her a sympathetic look.  He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and reached for her hand.  But he remained silent as he bandaged it, ignoring Wufei's scathing look.

            Heero picked up the thing the woman dropped, a small badge.  Her maroon eyes studied him closely.  "Meioh Setsuna, Earth Sphere Intelligence Agency," she stated.

            Sally paled.  "Oh my god…I am so sorry…" she gasped, glaring at Heero.  "I swear, we had no idea."

            "It's quite all right," Setsuna replied calmly.  "Just a flesh wound."

            "Hn," Heero grunted, tossing her the badge.  She caught it with her good hand.

            "Okay, okay.  Sorry for shooting you.  But what are you doing here?  How did you know what's going on?" Duo asked.

            Setsuna raised her eyebrow.  "I told you.  I'm here on Lady Une's behalf.  She's currently working on a project that is proving to be very time consuming.  And anyways, I think I can be of more help to you than she can."

            "More help?  How?" Wufei asked cynically.

            "I know who killed Lita Kino.  I also know when, where, and why she was killed," Setsuna replied.

            Sally gasped.  "How did you…?"

            "It's my job to know, Miss Po.  I have my sources, as I'm sure you have yours.  And mine also must be kept confidential."

            "Um, before you get into that, could you fill the rest of us in on what's been going on?" Duo asked, sitting on the couch and leaning forward. 

            "Very well.  Miss Po, Mr. Chang, shall I leave you to tell the story?" Setsuna asked, standing near the window and looking out at it.

            "I'd be more interested to hear exactly how much you know, Miss Meioh," Wufei replied icily.

            "I have to agree," Sally added.

            "All right then.  Events are as follows.  Two days ago, the Preventors received a phone call from Secretary of Defense regarding vandalism to property at the Colonial Embassy in Bucharest.  The nature of the vandalism was prejudice against the colonies, which is treated as a hate crime.  However, Bucharest police were unable to apprehend the culprits, and the crimes were getting more serious.  Lita Kino, an intern from the Preventors was sent to investigate.  She made three phone calls to Mr. Chang reporting her status.  The latest was made at 11:30 PM.  Four hours later, Budapest police found her body in an alley, dead of a stab wound to the heart.  The murder weapon is missing, and there is only one suspect, Anya Karikov, who was sent to meet her at the Budapest Spaceport.  It is concluded that she did accompany Miss Kino as far as the spaceport parking ramp.  There is no further information released about what occurred between then and the time Lita Kino's body was found," Setsuna concluded.

            The room was silent.

            "You're good at gathering information, Miss Meioh," Sally commented.

            "Thank you.  But as I said, it is my job," she replied.

            "So then do you think that Miss Kino was murdered because she found out who the vandals were?" Quatre asked.

            "It would seem that way, wouldn't it Mr. Winner?" Setsuna turned and smiled slightly.  "And yes, I am aware of who all of you are, so there was never any need for introduction.  But anyways, no.  Lita Kino was not being silenced."

            "Then what other reason was there to kill her?" Heero looked at her.

            Setsuna looked back out the window.  "Have any of you ever heard of the legend of Crystal Tokyo?"

            "Crystal Tokyo?  Wasn't that a huge city in Japan, where Tokyo is now?" Duo asked.

            "Correct.  Supposedly, it existed during the thirtieth century of the Common Era, roughly four hundred years ago.  It was ruled by one queen, her family, and her eight guardians.  During the reign of this queen, there was much peace and prosperity, but soon there was a revolution and all records of Crystal Tokyo were lost," Setsuna explained.

            "And this has what to do with Kino's murder?" Sally asked.

            The ivy-haired woman drew a photograph out of her jacket pocket and dropped it on the coffee table.  "This is a photo from Lita Kino's autopsy.  Look closely at it."

            Sally picked it up from the table and examined it.  It was a shot of the intern's face, white and blank as a sheet of paper.  Her green eyes were open, staring at nothing.  It sent a shiver up her spine.  But she had seen lots of autopsy photos through the years, and this one was no different.  She said so.

            "No?  Then look at this," Setsuna replied, handing her another piece of paper.  This one was a drawing.  A rather famous one too, depicting one of the legendary guardians from Crystal Tokyo.  It was a tall woman dressed in a long emerald gown.  Her chestnut brown hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and her green eyes emphasized a glowing green symbol of Jupiter on her forehead.  Sally shivered again.  Though she'd seen the drawing once or twice in art books and in a museum, only now did she notice it was a drawing of Lita Kino.

            Setsuna saw the realization dawn on the Preventor's face.  "Now look back at the photo," she said.

            Sally did, and she paled.

            There on Lita Kino's forehead was the exact same green symbol of Jupiter.

            "What the hell is this?" Sally murmured, handing the pictures to the Gundam pilots.

            Setsuna turned to face them, her figure outlined in the lights from outside, illuminating the dim room.  "Hell indeed.  That is what this place is about to become."

            "What are you talking about lady?  You don't actually mean this Kino girl is the girl in the drawing?" Duo asked.

            "That's exactly what I'm saying.  First of all, her name was _not_ Lita Kino, it was Kino Makoto.  She was born in Japan in the late twentieth century of the Common Era.  If you want the proof, you can look at the files from the autopsy.  It's amazing, but true.  What's more, if you look back in past censuses, you will find either a Lita Kino or a Makoto living on Earth ever since the beginning of the age after colonization, and even some before.  Photos accompany these, and they are all identical.  There's no proof that she actually had the powers described in the legends, but if you want that, I think you'll be able to get it."

            There was silence again as the group stared at her.

            "Is this all real?" Quatre asked softly.

            "Very real.  Would you like to know who killed Miss Kino?" Setsuna asked.

            He nodded.

            "It was the same person who attacked Mr. Maxwell in the elevator on his way here," she answered.

            "Now wait a minute, how in god's name did you know that?" Duo cried, standing up.

            "People are always watching, Mr. Maxwell.  There is at least one witness to every action," she replied.

            "You mean it actually happened?" Sally asked.

            "Yeah, it happened all right.  I don't know what it was though.  I was just coming up here, when this guy, or maybe a girl, I couldn't really tell, got in the elevator with me and came after me with a knife.  Got it right here," he displayed his prize.

            "What happened to your attacker?" Heero asked.

            "I knocked him out and left him in the elevator," Duo answered.

            Wufei shot him a furious glared.  "So he'll be able to run back to his leader?"

            "Exactly.  But you see, you now have the advantage," Setsuna answered.

            "Advantage?  What advantage?" Sally asked.

            "First of all, it was neither a male nor a female that attacked you, Mr. Maxwell.  It was a Leute, a being that originates from a life supporting planet in the Draco Star System," she explained.

            "You mean an alien?" he asked.

            "I suppose you could say so, though there'd really be no point considering they've lived on Earth and the colonies ever since the fall of Crystal Tokyo.  They were the ones that caused it after all," Setsuna answered.  "Most of them are centuries older than you."

            "Not the one in the elevator.  That was just a kid."

            "No.  When the body of a Leute reaches a human's age of puberty, it simply stops there and no longer ages.  Most likely it was Aethrin that attacked you; they've always been one of the more infamous assassins.  And from the information I've gathered, it was also Aethrin that killed Kino Makoto.  Perhaps even with the knife you hold in your hand," Setsuna suggested.

            Duo hastily set the knife down.

            "I don't know if I can believe any of this," Wufei said.

            "It doesn't matter if you do or don't.  You should be aware though, that not everyone in the Earth Sphere is human, and those that aren't certainly don't mean well for you.  Once they've killed the queen and the rest of the guardians, neither the Earth nor the colonies will stand a chance,' she said.

            "Then the queen and the guardians are still alive?" Trowa asked, startling everyone.

            Setsuna nodded.  "Yes.  Serenity, her daughter Small Serenity, and seven of the eight guardians are still alive.  They have already killed Jupiter, and Endymion, Serenity's husband, was killed during the wars."

            "They must be very powerful then, to have kept the Earth safe this long," Quatre murmured.

            "More powerful than you can imagine, Mr. Winner.  But still, they are human.  They live normal lives.  That's why it will be so difficult to find them, both for us and for the Leute."

            "Wait a minute.  You want _us_ to find these guardians?" Duo asked.

            "Would you rather be ruled by the Leute, Mr. Maxwell?  Because I assure you, the carnage suffered all the years of war will seem like catholic school punishment compared to the horror that the Leute is capable of and willing to carry out.  The guardians still hold much power.  Hopefully, they will be able to drive out this disease once and for all."

            "What about the queen?" Trowa asked.

            "Serenity is the key," Setsuna explained.  "She is the one with the master power, the Ginzuishou.  She can also unite the powers of the seven remaining guardians, and also bring forth the powers in her daughter."

            "Well then, this should be interesting.  We have to avoid miniature hermaphrodites that live forever and want to take over the world while finding seven all-powerful guardians, one princess, and one queen, all over five hundred years old.  Oh, and probably deal with the vandalism while we're at it," Duo replied.

            "The vandalism was a ploy to get Makoto Kino out here.  Why do you think they had us send her to Budapest instead of Bucharest?" Sally asked.

            Setsuna nodded.  "Not only that, but the secretary of defense is basically a puppet to the Leute.  One of them is pretending to be his child."

            "Great.  Also, avoid world leaders," Duo added.

            "You shouldn't complain so much, Mr. Maxwell.  I doubt this battle will be any less entertaining than your last," Setsuna replied.

            "The only difference this time is that we don't have the Gundams," Heero said quietly.

            "No, you don't.  But I have faith in you.  And you have faith in each other.  I think that will be good enough for now," Setsuna replied just as soft.

            The room was silent for a few minutes.

"Okay then, where do we start looking for these guardians?"  Sally asked.

"They'll be scattered around the colonies and planet.  I can't tell you where, but I do have this," Setsuna pulled a folded paper out of her pocket and handed it to Trowa.  It was a picture similar to the drawing of Makoto Kino, but this also included the images of three other women, a little girl, and a man.

"Obviously, Makoto Kino, Jupiter, was found and killed.  The man, Endymion, has been dead for over a decade.  The others," she pointed to a woman with short blue hair.  "Mercury, Mizuno Ami."  One with black hair.  "Mars, Hino Rei."  A blond with a ribbon in her hair.  "Aino Minako, Venus."  The little girl.  "Princess Small Lady Serenity, she may use the names Tsukino Chibiusa, Chiba Chibiusa, Chiba Usagi, Tsukino Usagi, or Serenity Chiba."  Finally, the middle woman, dressed in white with long blond ponytails.  "Queen Serenity, Tsukino Usagi, or Serenity Chiba."

They studied the drawing for a while, when Quatre looked up.  "But you said there were originally eight guardians.  This shows the queen, her daughter, and four of them."

"I'm afraid images of the others are more difficult to come by.  I'll contact you if I come across one.  For now, worry about finding these three," she pointed to Mercury, Mars, and Venus.

Duo groaned.  "Man…how the hell do we even _start_ looking for these women?" he asked.

Sally studied the picture closely.  "…I know her."

"What?" he cried, looking at it.

She pointed to Mercury.  "That's Amy Anderson.  We used to work together at the South J.A.P. Point.  She was a surgeon; one of the best."

"Yes…that sounds like Ami…" Setsuna murmured softly, smiling to herself.

"What?" Heero asked, looking at her.

She shook her head.  "Nothing.  Nothing at all."

His eyes stayed locked on her.  "Hn."

Setsuna rose.  "I've given you all I can," she said.  "I think it would be best if I left now.  Trowa…"

He looked up at her.

"You will tell Lady Une everything she's missed?"

For a split second, she almost thought she saw surprise on the usually stoic man's face, but the expressionless mask remained.  He said nothing, just nodded.

"Thank you."  She rose and headed for the door, then paused to examine her wounded hand.  "I think I'll stop in at the hospital and have this examined.  I must be more careful handling my firearms."

"You'll contact us when you get any more information?" Heero asked, ignoring the comment

"Of course, Mr. Yuy.  Don't worry about finding me; I'll find you," she smiled.

Duo groaned.  "That's what worries me."

"I look forward to seeing you again as well, Mr. Maxwell," Setsuna replied, then strode out the door.

The small group looked at each other for a while. 

"She's a very strange person, isn't she?" Quatre commented.

"That's the understatement of the century.  I want to know how she knows all this stuff!  If any of it's true, that is.  Personally, I think the lady's got a screw or twelve loose," Duo remarked.

"Lita Kino, or Kino Makoto, or whoever she was could've been one of the best Preventors ever," Sally said quietly.  "But she will never have the chance now.  I'm going to do this for her.  I don't know if any of you will go along with it, but that's your decision."

Wufei was shocked.  He had known his partner for over ten years.  She was kind enough to her friends and family, but always practical and sensible.  True, there was no better explanation available for what happened to Kino, but he never guessed that the levelheaded Sally Po would actually believe the story.  Then again, there were so many coincidences.  The call from the Secretary.  Budapest instead of Bucharest.  Kino's murder.  Duo's attack.

"If this is true, we're looking at more than a civil war here," Heero said.  "I think we'd better pay some attention to this.  Not too much, but some."

"I agree.  I'll start searching colony records for any of these women," Quatre offered.

"That's not a bad idea.  Trowa, you should check in with Lady Une.  I'll look up Amy on he Internet.  The rest of you…" Sally looked at Heero, Duo, and Wufei.

Duo grinned evilly.  "I think I'm going to see what else I can find out about our mysterious informer.  I don't like that Setsuna Meioh.  I'll keep my eyes on her for a while.  How about you Heero?"

"I'll see what I can find.  There's other research I'll have to do too," he answered shortly.

"Well Wufei?" Sally asked, looking at her partner.

"If you really need the help, I'll offer it.  Kino _did_ have promise," he admitted.

She smiled sadly.  "Always knew you liked her, Chang."

He rolled his eyes. 

"I think since our presence is obviously known here," Quatre said, shooting a glance at Duo, "We should leave as soon as possible.  Let's check in with information as we get it."

"Sounds like a plan," Duo agreed.  He shook his head and smiled.  "I thought we were done with all of this ten years ago.  We're getting old you guys."

"If it's too difficult, Maxwell, I could end your misery now," Wufei offered.

"Nah, you'll need your strength to go kill those immortal guys," he replied.

Sally cleared her throat to shut the two men up.  "Okay then, we've all chosen our assignments.  Let's take care of this as quickly and painlessly as possible."

One by one, they left the room, until it was completely empty.


	3. Segment 3

I Own Nothing.  LIME WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!! The usual brief summary will be provided at the beginning of the next chapter should you choose to skip this one.

Segment 3:

Dark Clouds

_Summary:_

_            The five ex-Gundam pilots, now volunteer Preventors, met in Budapest to discuss the murder of the murdered intern Lita Kino.  Expecting to meet with the Head Administrator of the Preventors, Lady Une, they were surprised to come across Setsuna Meioh, an agent from Earth Sphere Intelligence.  She explained to them about how Kino's death had not been an accident, or even a random murder, that it had been planned by a mysterious group of aliens known as the Leute.  Then she went on to explain that Duo's attacker had been a Leute assassin, but neglected to elaborate on the assassin's motive.  With the knowledge that the Leute plan to take over the Earth Sphere by killing the ancient rulers of Crystal Tokyo, the Preventors decide to split up and locate the remaining rulers._

            Trowa Barton sat on the bed in his small hotel room, staring out at the glowing streets of the city.  A man rational and serious by nature, he found it difficult to believe all the things Setsuna Meioh had told him.  And yet, why shouldn't they be true?  It wouldn't be the most extraordinary thing to happen to him in his life.  There was _some_ controversial archaeological evidence that Crystal Tokyo had indeed existed.  The drawing of Lita, or rather, Makoto, Kino had matched the autopsy photo almost exactly.  And the possibility of the Leute…

            He had seen tyranny during the Eve Wars.  And yet, those tyrants were still human.  They had emotion, faults, ideals that could be compromised through greed and pride and lust for power.  He was used to humans.  But another species was a different thing.  Meioh had given them a clear physical description of the Leute, and had even offered to send along photographs once she had them.  However, she had not mentioned anything about their personalities, their fighting styles, their motives, nothing.  For the first time ever, he would have to face his enemy blindly.

            That was not going to work.

            He would have to research, study, spy, do whatever it took to learn the nature of the Leute.  But to figure out his methods, he would definitely need to speak with Lady Une.  Though the spying skills of Trowa Barton were renowned amongst the Preventors, former pilots, and other veterans of the Eve Wars, even he had to admit it would be difficult to blend into a society made up of preteen neuters.

            Silently, he picked up the phone on the nightstand and dialed the colony code for L3.  A few moments later, a woman's voice answered on the other end of the line.

            "Catherine Wood speaking," she greeted.

            "It's me," Trowa answered shortly.

            He heard a poorly masked sigh of relief from his sister.  "Hey.  Still in Hungary?"

            "Yeah, the Preventors need some help.  I'm going to be a little busy for a while, so don't expect me back for some time."

            "You know I hate it when you do this."

            "…I'm sorry," he apologized softly.  In truth, he did hate to leave Catherine.  There were very few people in the world he trusted completely, and she was one of them.  She could be counted on to keep a lantern lit for him while remaining discreet.  Her protests had lessened through the years as he'd carried out minor missions for the Preventors, particularly after her marriage to Adam Wood, a good-natured, sensible man who had worked some financial aspects of the circus.  They had two children together, seven-year-old Anna, and five-year-old Samuel.  Trowa felt welcome in the family, but also somewhat guilty, as though he were interrupting their happiness, particularly Catherine's.  He still worked in the circus, but was prone to longer periods of absence quite frequently.

            "Well…just be careful," Catherine sighed.  "Oh wait!  Before you go…Lady Une was here today looking for you."

            Trowa blinked.  "She was?"

            "Yes.  She said she was only passing by the colony.  I told her you'd gone to Earth, and she wants to meet you in Paris at the Colonial Embassy.  She'll be there until Sunday," she explained.

            He frowned.  France?  Why would she go there?

            "I see.  Thanks Catherine.  Say hello to Adam and the kids for me," he said.

            "I will.  Be careful Trowa."

            "Of course."

            "We love you."

            "I love you too."

            With that, he hung up, and immediately went to the lobby to make arrangements for a flight to Paris.

            It was past midnight when Haruka softly knocked on Quatre's door.  "Still awake?"

            He looked up from the legal pad and removed the pen from his mouth.  "Yes, Haruka.  Come in."

            Her face was red and her hands were chapped from the cold wind outside.  Blowing on her palms, she looked at him.  "Well?  Une ever show?"

            "Actually, no.  An agent from the ESIA came instead."

            "Really?  Huh.  Dressed in sunglasses and a black business suit?" Haruka smiled slightly.

            "Auntie..."

            "Damn it boy, I told you that you were too old to call me that when you were twelve years old."

            "I'm sorry Auntie," Quatre smiled.

            "Yeah yeah…so tell me more about this guy from the ESIA," she said, throwing her black wool coat over a chair and leaning against the wall.

            "It was a woman, actually.  Setsuna Meioh, her name was," Quatre replied.

            He blinked as he saw the color drain from Haruka's face. The fingers of her left hand started to twitch ever so slightly.  "Meioh?"

            "Yes…" he frowned, studying her closely.  He'd never seen her react this way before.  "Why?  Do you know the name?"

            Haruka opened her mouth to say something, then shut it.  In an instant, her face was expressionless and blank, the signature poker face she'd assumed every time Quatre had tried to ask her about her past.  The face that warned him to stop talking if he didn't want to get hurt.

            "Anyways…" Quatre shuddered, then shot a glance at the clock.  "It's getting late.  Maybe I should just tell you the story in the morning?"

            "Yeah, probably not a bad idea," Haruka agreed flatly, picking up her jacket and turning to leave.  "I may not see you in the morning though, Quatre.  More business to take care of."

            "Still?  Auntie, if you're not careful, you'll become as much of a workaholic as I am," he joked weakly.

            But Haruka did not smile as she walked out the door without a second glance back.

            Lady Une sat at the desk of the office drinking coffee.  The Embassy had provided her with ample work and living space, despite the fact she would be there for less than three days.  Even now, the sun was setting slowly over the Paris skyline.  She knew she should be working, but this was the first break she'd taken in what felt like years.  Ever since the murder of Lita Kino, she'd been rushing around the colonies and planet trying to straighten out what happened.  And so far, she'd gotten nowhere.

            Taking another drink of coffee, she looked out the window again.  The city outside looked so peaceful, so quiet, so calm.  Had it truly only been a decade since the world had been ravaged by war?

            "I never thought you'd come back here," a low voice said from behind her.

            Lady Une tensed and slowly set the coffee mug down, then relaxed as she felt hands lightly rest on her shoulders and slide down her arms to her wrists.  They held her eagle spread, like a crucified martyr before the blood red sun setting in front of her.

            "I was wondering if you'd pay me a visit, Trowa.  I'm sorry I missed you on L3," she replied, twisting her arms free from his grasp and turning to face him.

            "Catherine gave me the message," he replied.

            Lady Une nodded.  "She was kind to me, as always.  I still don't think she like me much though."

            "I had planned to come anyways.  Setsuna Meioh asked me to," he explained, ignoring the remark.

            She was silent.  "So she told you the story as well?"

            "Yes."

            "Do you believe it?"

            He remained silent.

            After ten years, Lady Une had grown accustomed to this response.  So, she dealt with it the way she usually did, by moving on.  "I'm not sure if I do.  But I don't want to take a chance."

            "That's understandable," Trowa answered, moving forwards to stand next to her.  "The last thing we want on our hands is another war."

            "I agree," she said softly, twisting her fingers with his.  "You and I, we know the horrors of war more than anyone else, I think.  We have witnessed them, lived them, and committed them."

            Again, he said nothing.

            She let go of his hand and turned to look at his face.  "So is that the only reason you came?"

            "No.  I want to start watching the Leute, but I need your help and advice," Trowa answered.

            "What makes you think I'd know?" she asked.

            "You know which of the world leaders have children ages nine to thirteen.  You also have the funding for any equipment that may be necessary," he replied.

            "I see.  Well then, I may be able to help you.  But I can't access the Preventors database anymore; it's been shut off for the evening.  As for equipment, we'll have to go back to the colonies to get access to the best of it.  There's not much I can do for you right now.  If business is finished," she rose and headed for the door.  "You should find a hotel room for the night."

            "Mignonette."

            His voice was low, soft, chilling.  The single word sent shivers up her spine.  Less than ten people had ever known her real name.  Her father and brothers, dead years and years ago.  Treize Khushrenada, likewise.  Mariemaia Khushrenada, whom she hadn't heard from for years.  And Trowa.

            She did not breathe as moved behind her and rested his hands on her hips, then slowly began caressing her sides in slow, sensual circles.  He buried his face in her hair, once carefree blond waves; now straight and sober chestnut locks. 

"It's been a few months," he whispered in her ear.  "I've missed you."  His hands moved over her breasts as he began to unbutton her blouse.  Even now, it amazed her that a stoic man three years her junior had such amazing skills in seduction.  Not even the charismatic Treize, who'd been her common law husband, had been able to make her want him so badly.  Now she felt Trowa's lips on the fast heating flesh of her neck that she let his name escape her lips.

            "Nanashi…"

            When had she realized that the pilot of Gundam Heavyarms was the boy she'd fallen in love with when she was fourteen?  From the moment she saw him among the OZ recruits when he was working as a spy.  It had puzzled her that he'd used the name Trowa Barton, but after watching his cold, emotionless fighting style, there was no doubt in her mind that this was the solemn young mercenary who had saved her life countless times.  And how did she repay him?  By abandoning him, by fleeing into the arms of Treize, by becoming his enemy.  She never expected Trowa to forgive her, and yet…he was changed.  It occurred to her that it was Nanashi she truly loved, and he was gone forever.  But it had not been difficult for her to learn to love this new man, this Trowa Barton.

            "Middie," she felt his hot breath somewhere near her temple.

            Again, the difficulty of naming.  Where had the name Middie come from?  She remembered her youngest brother, Raoul, always seemed to be sick with a cold.  Her father and other brothers usually called her Minnie as a shortened form of Mignonette.  But Raoul, eternally congested, never could say it clearly, so it came out as "Middie."  She wondered why they had found it so amusing as to all call her Middie, but she had only been nine or ten at the time.  The name stuck.

            But now, as they stumbled through the door to Lady Une's bedroom, they shed their names along with their clothing and collapsed on the bed.  Now, they were only two spirits, a pair of nameless ghosts that longed to remove themselves from the troubles of the world, a pair of unfettered phantoms that tried furiously to escape the gathering storm clouds on the horizon.  Yet even as their primitive ritual continued, the rationalities that both of them possessed watched piteously, knowing neither lover would be able to escape the tempest.

            Finally, as they lay staring at he ceiling while the ecstasy slowly released them, Trowa gathered Une in his arms and held her close, absentmindedly brushing stray strands of hair from her face.

            "Why did you come back to France?" he murmured.

            Her mahogany brown eyes met his emerald gaze.  "I had to."

            He nodded.  To that day, they had honored the pact they'd made the night they first became lovers.  The promise they'd made to each other and to the world that they would atone for their sins.  Each and every one of them, even if it took a hundred thousand years.

            But they had time.

            And they had each other.

            "I am hereby proud to dedicate this memorial marking ten year anniversary of the Arms Eradication!" Relena Dorlian cried out to the crowd as the sheet fell away from the new monument.

            The people of L1 cheered as light glinted off the glittering white pyramid, covered with engravings of swords to represent each weapon that was destroyed during the Eradication.  For a decade now, the Earth Sphere had been devoid of any military weapons.  Of course, police forces and the Preventors were still allowed to use firearms and civilians who liked to hunt could still have their hunting artillery, but there were no longer any military weapons.  Nor were there any factories to build such weapons nor were there any facilities to develop them.  Finally, it seemed to the citizens that there would be global peace.

            Relena smiled proudly, stepped down from the podium, and proceeded back to the tent where food would be served to the speakers and sponsors.  Unfortunately, she would have to battle it out with the crowd of politicians, the press, and enthusiastic supporters.  The going was slow and difficult, but eventually she made it.  Sighing, she reached into her pocket for her watch.  She was surprised when her fingers ran across the edge of a folded piece of paper.

            Frowning, she pulled it out and unfolded it.

            _I have something to discuss with you.  Meet me in the grove of cherry trees behind the Eve Memorial.  Come alone.  Destroy this note when you're finished with it._

_            -A Knight_

She read the note twice more, her hands shaking with excitement.  There was no doubt in her mind who had written it.  Immediately, she tore the note up into little pieces, dropped half of them in one garbage can, and half in another.  After telling her secretary she needed to go to the ladies' room, she half sprinted to the grove behind the memorial, nearly a mile away across the park.  When she finally reached it, she winced in pain.  High heels had been a very poor choice in footwear indeed.

Her eyes scanned the area.  She could still hear the dull sounds of the crowd near the new memorial, but other than that, it appeared she was alone.  She leaned against one of the trees and sighed.

"Why do you always do this to me Heero?" Relena murmured.

"I don't want to be seen," he answered, stepping out from behind a tree.

She looked up and gasped in happiness.  "Heero!" she cried, throwing her arms around him.  "I was starting to think it wasn't you who wrote the note."

He pulled out of her embrace slowly.  "You're lucky I was.  If it had been anyone else, you'd probably be dead by now."

Relena narrowed her eyes.  "I'm not a teenager anymore, Heero.  You can't scare me with threats of assassination."

In truth, Relena _had_ grown.  She was no longer an idealistic girl who automatically had the political support of thousands, but a hardworking woman who held her title of Earth Sphere Vice President with a firm grip.  Her popularity had fallen a bit since she'd negotiated her original ideals in order to better serve _all_ people, but she did have the respect of almost every person in the world.  Not only that, but she had preserved her vision of peace for the world, and it had been a reality for a while now.

"So what did you want to speak with me about?" Relena asked.  "It would be wishful thinking to believe you came just to pay me a nice visit."

Heero was quiet for a moment, planning his explanation.  Relena was rational, and everything Setsuna Meioh had told him was not.

"You heard about the murder of Lita Kino, I assume?" he asked.

She nodded sadly.  "Yes, that's horrible.  I feel so bad for the Preventors.  I heard she had a lot of promise."

"It's not the Preventors you should be worried about," Heero said.  "It's the people of Earth."

Relena cocked her head.  "What?  What do you mean?"

"Kino's murder was not just some random occurrence.  She was killed for a reason.  You know the story of Crystal Tokyo?" he asked.

"Yes.  It was a great civilization on Earth in the thirtieth century," she answered.

"What else do you know?" Heero pressed.

She closed her eyes and tried to remember.  "It was ruled by a queen who had a very strong power source.  Supposedly, it brought peace and immortality to all the people of the planet.  She had guardians too, didn't she?  Guardians that also had great powers?"

He nodded.  "Yes.  Do you know how Crystal Tokyo fell?"

"A people invaded from space.  Aliens, I guess we'd call them.  They started a revolution amongst the people of Earth, and the queen and her guardians disappeared," she finished.  "But what does this have to do with anything?"

Heero looked in her eyes.  "What if the queen and the guardians _didn't_ disappear?  Or the aliens that invaded?  What if they were alive this entire time, living off of that great power source the queen had?"

Relena cocked her head again.  "Heero, are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine," he said shortly.

"But you're talking crazy.  You don't honestly think…"

"I'm not sure.  But there is a possibility that Lita Kino was one of those guardians, and she was murdered by the aliens; the Leute, they're called," Heero answered.

"That's impossible.  She'd have to be over four hundred years old," Relena replied.

"Like I said, I'm not sure if any of this is true," he paused.  "Then again, no one was sure when Mariemaia Khushrenada declared war on Earth."

"Where's that connection?"

"She wanted control of Earth, just like the Leute do.  All these years, it was those guardians and the queen that were standing in the way.  But one of them is dead now.  If any more die, taking control will be easy," he answered, then slowly laid a hand on her shoulder.  "Are you willing to risk that?"

Relena bit her lip.  The story was outrageous.  There was no way it could be true.  And yet…he had a point.  If, through some strange, cruel irony, it were true, she was risking the lives of every citizen of the Earth Sphere by ignoring it.

"What is it that you want me to do, Heero?" she asked softly.

He released her shoulder and turned to leave.  "Keep your eyes open and be careful.  And consider starting development for weapons again."

"What?!?!?!"

Heero turned back to face her.  "There may be peace amongst ourselves, but Earth is vulnerable to anyone else wishing to attack us.  We won't be able to fight off anything with a few handguns and hunting rifles."

"But…but…"

He pressed a finger to her lips.  "I said consider it.  Just ask yourself, what's more important, a vision of total pacifism, or the lives of your people?"

With that, he was gone.


	4. Segment 4

I still own nothing

Segment 4:

Little Girl Lost

_Summary:_

_            Trowa takes it upon himself to start tracking the Leute, but in order to get funds and information regarding them, he needs to contact Lady Une.  He meets her in Paris, where they discuss the matter of Setsuna Meioh's outrageous claims, then decide to travel to the colonies to get equipment for an intelligence mission to study the Leute.  Meanwhile, Quatre confronts Haruka about the conversation that took place between Setsuna and the pilots.  Haruka seems upset by the agent's name, then mentions she has more work to deal with and that she may not see Quatre for a while.  On L1, Heero explains everything to Relena Dorlian, and suggests she start researching the redevelopment of military weapons.  She is shocked at the idea, especially since she does not completely believe the story.  Heero and Relena depart without reaching a conclusion._

            "I met Amy Anderson a few years after I finished medical school.  She was two or three years older than me, or I thought so, anyways.  But still, she was one of the best.  She had been a pediatrician for a while, then had gone back to school to become a surgeon.  We started working at the South J.A.P. Point at the same time, and we frequently had to work together.  I was in the E.R. and she was in I.C.U. but frequently patients would go from one to the other.

"Amy was very good at what she did, and everyone she treated loved her.  Then again, you couldn't help but love her.  She was so kind and gentle, and she was great under pressure.  What can I say?  We were a pair of single women who both needed someone to keep each other company, so we made it a ritual to meet for coffee after work.  She was a good friend.

"When the war got really heavy, we both ended up being transferred.  Last I heard, Amy was working at a clinic in Johannesburg, but that was about seven or eight years ago.  We haven't really kept contact," Sally concluded, as Wufei looked up from the computer screen where the blue-haired woman's picture was displayed.

He frowned.  "Did she ever tell you anything about her past?  Her family?  Anything like that?"

"She said her parents had died a long time ago, and she didn't have any siblings.  She also said she was from Germany," she replied, bending over to look at the screen.  "Can you find anything else in the database?"

"Amy Anderson.  Gender:  Female.  Birth date:  Unknown.  Birthplace:  Unknown.  Hair:  Blue.  Eyes:  Blue.  Height:  5' 3".  Weight:  125 lbs.  Family:  Parents, deceased.  No other immediate relatives," he read.  "Nothing else."

Sally chewed her lower lip.  "Did you try Mizuno Ami?"

"Yes.  All that came up was fictional references to Crystal Tokyo.  Supposedly, Mizuno Ami was "Sailor Mercury"," he answered.  "She could control ice and was known for being one of the more intelligent of the guardians, the "Senshi."  Nothing about her actually being a real person."

"Hm.  I wonder if any of the others are having as much difficulty?" Sally smiled slightly.

Wufei shrugged.  "We're trying to find people whose identities have been lost for over four hundred years.  Not just trying to find your friend from school."

"My friend…" she paused, then looked at the computer.  "Let me see that a minute."

He blinked and got up as she took his place and began typing quickly.

AMY MIZUNO

"What are you doing?" Wufei asked as she hit the ENTER button.

Sally smiled slightly as the results came back.  "An excerpt from an old census, taken shortly before the AC timeline began.

"Amy Mizuno.  Year of Birth:  1981 CE.  Place of Birth:  Tokyo, Japan.  Hair:  Blue.  Eyes:  Blue.  Height:  5' 3".  Weight:  125 lbs.  Family:  Mother:  Midori Kusanagi, age 39.  Father:  Joseph Mizuno, age 43.

"Amy Mizuno was born in Japan in 1981.  Her parents, a Japanese doctor and a Scottish pilot of Japanese descent divorced when she was five years old.  When Amy was fourteen she was bestowed the powers of a Senshi, and assumed her role as Sailor Mercury.  She continued her medical schooling through her teens and twenties.  However, like all of the rulers of Crystal Tokyo, her history between the years of 2003 CE and 2916 CE is missing.  Although it was assumed that Sailor Mercury had died between those years, this was proven wrong when she and the other Senshi reappeared to fight of the invasion of the Leute, the people from beyond the stars.  After the Leute were defeated, Crystal Tokyo served as the capital city of Earth until the year 3000, when the Last Revolution occurred and the city was destroyed.  All information on Amy Mizuno since then has been lost."

Sally stared at the screen.  "That can't be right…" she muttered, scrolling up and rereading.

"What?" Wufei asked.

"We thought the guardians were about four hundred or five hundred years old, right?" she replied, looking at him.

"Yeah…"

"Well if Amy Mizuno was born in 1981 CE, and the AC timeline began in 3250 CE…"

"She would be 1,476 years old!"

Sally nodded dumbly.

Wufei checked the math over again, then shook his head in disbelief.  "And you said she looked _two or three_ years older than you?"

"I swear to god, the last time I saw her, she didn't look a day over twenty-three," Sally replied.

The two stared at each other.  Could there honestly be a woman living on earth who was nearly fifteen hundred years old?  It was an outrageous question.  Then again, it was just as believable that the same fifteen hundred year old woman had the ability to control ice.

"Maybe it's not the same person," Wufei said.  "After all, you did say your friend was named Amy _Anderson_.  Not Amy Mizuno."

"But look at the stats.  Same hair, same eyes, same weight, same height.  What are the odds?" she countered, then sighed.  "But it's no good if we can't find her."

Wufei nodded in agreement.  "When did you say you last contacted her?"

"Hm…I think it was back in 200.  Or, no.  New Year's Eve of 199.  I got a phone call from her," Sally answered.

"Did she leave a number or address?" he asked.

Sally slapped her forehead.  "Jesus Christ!" she groaned, then disappeared into her office.  About ten minutes later, she returned with a crumpled scrap of paper.

_Amy A.- 690-782-5314_

_69 Mondstr._

_Kiel, Germany._

"We've been working too damn much," Sally muttered, picking up the phone and dialing.  When it rang, she hit the button for speakerphone so her partner could hear.

"Hier Anderson," a female voice with a light German accent answered.

"Amy?  It's Sally," she replied.

"Sally?" Amy asked, then laughed.  "Hey!  It's been ages!  How are you?"

"Good!" Sally smiled at Wufei, then mouthed _It's her.  _"How about you?"

"All right, all right.  Still working at the clinic," she answered.

"Like I couldn't tell.  You answered in fricken' German!"

Amy giggled again.  "Es tut mir leid."

"So anyways, I was just calling to let you know I've got some business in Copenhagen, and I was wondering if you'd be around tomorrow afternoon in case I decided to stop by."

"Of course, Sally.  You're lucky, I'm on vacation right now.  I'd love to have you!  Tomorrow you said?"

"Yeah, my partner and I won't be able to stay long, but…"

"Partner?  Oh that's right!  You're with the Preventors now."

"Yeah, it pays the bills.  But he's a good guy, Wufei.  You sure we're not putting you out?"

"Not at all.  Stop by anytime tomorrow.  I'll cook dinner for you both, okay?"

"Sounds great.  Looking forward to seeing you!"

"Me too!"

"Okay, talk to you later Amy."

"See ya."

Sally hung up the phone and looked at Wufei.  "So?  What do you think?"

He rolled his eyes.  "Does she always have that effect on you?"

"What effect?"

"Making you act like a teenager again," he answered.

Sally smirked.  "Kind of.  That's Amy for you.  Fifteen hundred or not; she's a great girl.  It'll be nice to see her again."

"Assuming she's willing to answer our questions," Wufei responded.

Her smile disappeared.  "You're right.  Friend or not, we'll have to get the truth out of her, as much as it may hurt her."

Sally shivered and pulled her coat tighter around herself.  The wind off of the Baltic was cold and sharp, making even the frigid weather in Hungary seem attractive.

"How can she live here?" she wondered to herself.

Wufei shrugged as they continued walking, seemingly unaffected by the temperature.

Sally rolled her eyes, then looked at the street sign.

_Mondstrasse._

"This is the street.  Come on," she said, looking at the directions in her hand and turning right.  They walked down about two blocks to a little brick house, set back away from the road by about twenty feet.  The sky outside was dark with gray snow clouds, but a light from the big picture window in the front made the inside of the house look bright and cheery.  The number on the mailbox was 69.

They walked up the steps and pressed the doorbell.

"One minute!" Amy's voice called, and moments later, she opened the door.  "Sally!"

"Hi!" Sally replied happily, hugging the woman tightly.

Wufei tried not to stare at the blue haired woman.  She looked normal, but he did not forget the possibility that she was over a thousand years old.  It was unbelievable.  Just like Sally had said, Amy Anderson did not look a day over twenty-three.

"This must be your partner," Amy replied, looking directly at Wufei.

"Yeah, this is Wufei.  Wufei, this is Amy," Sally introduced.

The two shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you," Amy smiled.  "Now come on inside, it's freezing out there!"

"No kidding," Sally answered as they stepped inside.  "Nice place you have here."

"Thanks," she said, taking their coats and storing them in the closet.  "Small, but big enough for Pers and me."

"Pers?" Sally blinked, then gasped as a little gray tabby kitten landed on her shoulder.

Amy laughed.  "Persephone; my cat.  She's very outgoing."

"I can see that," she grinned, stroking the kitten's head.  It purred softly.

"She certainly likes you," Amy commented, then led them into the kitchen.  "Let's see…dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes.  Chicken okay with you two?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Lovely.  Anything to drink while we're waiting?  I've got a pot of coffee here," she offered.

"Amy, please don't tell me you went through all this work just for us," Sally said.

She shook her head.  "It's nothing, Sally, really.  I don't have company very often because of my job, so I'm glad to do it.  In fact, I—"

She was interrupted by the sound of glass breaking in the living room.

"What the hell?" Wufei muttered, as he and the two women dashed out to look at it.

Standing in front of the picture window were three kids.  Two had short blond hair, another had short black.  All had glowing orange eyes, and none of them had a specific gender.

"So these are Leute…" Sally murmured, pulling a gun from her jacket. 

"L-L-Leute?" Amy whispered.  "Oh my god…"

The three Leute smiled.  "Sally Po and Chang Wufei.  We are eternally in your debt.  Thank you for delivering us to Mercury," they answered in one toneless voice.

Wufei shoved open the closet door and pulled out the katana hidden in his coat.  "You will not touch her," he said in a low voice.

"Is that a challenge?  Very well," they answered again in the single voice.  The two blonds raised their hands in one single, smooth movement, released a hail of shuriken at them.

"Amy, get down!" Sally yelled, shoving her friend to the ground and firing at the Leute.

The black haired Leute leaped up in the air and flipped its way towards the two women.  However, just as it was about to land, Sally sprang to her feet and kicked it in the stomach, sending it sprawling.

Meanwhile, one of the two blond Leute was attacking Wufei with a pair of daggers, while the other had joined the dark one in agile gymnastic and martial arts attacks on Sally and Amy.

Wufei gritted his teeth, dropped to a crouch then knocked the dagger-wielder's feet out from under it.  Springing forward, he shoved the blade of his katana between its ribs.  The orange eyes widened in shock as blood, _violet blood_, began spewing from its mouth.  There was little time to dwell on this, however, because a gunshot had gone off and more of the sticky violet liquid was suddenly spattering the formerly flawless living room.

The last Leute, the black-haired one, panicked and drew a whip from its belt.  Smiling wickedly as its confidence was regained, it cracked the whip threateningly a few times, then caught the gun in Sally's hand and yanked it away.  The Leute grabbed it and reached for the trigger…

"Ah!" it screamed, shooting the gun into the ceiling as Wufei's katana pulled out from its shoulder blades, stained a deep, bruise-like purple.  The last Leute fell to the ground.

Sally leaned back against the couch and sighed in relief.  "Thank God.  Amy you—"

She heard a squeak of fear from her friend and whipped around.  Amy was braced against the wall, with Wufei holding the katana to her throat.  His onyx glare was angry and threatening.

"Please, I beg you…" Amy cried, tears filling her eyes.

"They were here for you, weren't they?" Wufei asked.  When she didn't answer, he pressed the blade harder.  "Weren't they?"

"That's enough Wufei!" Sally yelled.

He shot a hard glance at her.  "You said…"

"The hell with what I said!  What right do you have to treat a civilian like this?  Stand aside!" she ordered.

Glaring daggers at his partner, Wufei lowered the katana and stepped back, but did not sheath it.  Amy collapsed into the arms of her friend, sobbing.

"Oh god Sally, I'm so sorry.  So sorry…"

"Sh…" Sally hushed, trying to comfort her.  "It's okay, it's okay.  Nobody got hurt.  But I think there's some things you'd better explain."

"This is all my fault," Amy murmured.  "I never thought they'd actually find me…"

"Should we assume then, that you _are_ one of the guardians of Crystal Tokyo then, Mizuno Ami?" Wufei asked coldly.

Her sapphire eyes locked with his as she shook her head and stood up straight.

"No.  Not anymore.  That was over years and years ago.  I'm not Mizuno Ami anymore, do you understand?" she asked, a slight twinge of hysteria tinting her voice and eyes.  "I am not, I…I…_I will not be Sailor Mercury again, do you understand me?  Never again!_"

She collapsed to the ground.


	5. Segment 5

I own nothing.

Segment 4:

Burning Bridges

_Summary:_

_ Determined to find one of the guardians of Crystal Tokyo, Sally and Wufei research Sally's old colleague, Amy Anderson, to try to find a connection. They are shocked to come to the conclusion that the suspected guardian, Sailor Mercury, would be over a thousand years old if alive. With this new evidence, Sally contacts Amy, who invites them to visit her in Germany. The two travel there, but before they can ask any questions, Amy's house is attacked by three Leute. Together, Wufei and Sally defeat them. Then, Wufei turns on Amy and demands her to confess being Mizuno Ami and Sailor Mercury. Amy hysterically denies it, screaming she "will not be Sailor Mercury again", and passes out._

Like most Earth-based government organizations, the ESIA headquarters was located in Brussels, Belgium. Thus, despite the unrelenting snow and sharp winds, Duo drove his cheap, old rental car through the city towards his target.

The ESIA building wasn't one of the most beautiful nor awe-inspiring buildings located in the city. It was about eight stories tall, located between two similar office buildings, and if not for the letters ESIA above the doorway, he probably would've passed by it completely. However, his determination to find the elusive Setsuna Meioh drove him onward.

Parking the "piece of shit", as it was dubbed, he strode into the building. A pretty young secretary glanced up at him from behind a window in the lobby.

"Good morning sir. Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm looking for Setsuna Meioh," he replied.

The girl blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"Meioh?" Duo repeated, wondering why the girl looked so confused. He stifled a moan as he realized the very likely possibility that his informer may have been using a false name.

"Um, sir? Miss Meioh's in a meeting with the Secretary of Defense right now. Do you have an appointment?" she inquired.

He breathed out a sigh of relief. "I…um…no. Is she available today?"

The girl shook her head. "I'm afraid not sir. As soon as her meeting lets out, she has business to deal with in the colonies."

"Damn," he cursed softly. "Could you just get me into her office for five minutes?"

"I'm really sorry, but—"

"_Please_?" Duo begged, leaning against the window. "It's really, _really_ important. Couldn't you—"

"NO!" the girl snapped. "Now I'll have to ask you to leave or I'm calling security!"

"Look! The fate of the world depends on this! There's these aliens, and Meioh's the only one who has any information on anything!" Duo cried.

"Oh, yeah right. Like I haven't heard that one a thousand times," she rolled her eyes and pressed a button on her desk. "Security, I've got a man down here in the lobby who needs to be escorted from the premises."

A few seconds later, two burly looking men in blue suits wielding nightsticks appeared through the glass doorway.

"There a problem here Rene?" one of them asked.

She pointed at Duo.

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry gentlemen. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"I'm sure. But we'll have to ask you to leave," the other security guard asked.

"See, that's where I start accidentally causing trouble," Duo apologized, then darted out the doorway and down the hall.

"What the hell? Get back here!" the first man hollered, chasing the braided man.

_De ja vu all over again _he thought as he rounded a corner and raced up the stairs. He climbed two flights, then randomly darted down the next hallway. However, he saw two more security guards at the end of it, who caught sight of him then joined in the pursuit. Thinking quickly, he ran into an empty office, and looked out the window. To his relief, he saw a fire escape. Pausing, he grabbed a wastebasket from the desk nearby and dropped it, hoping the sound would distract his hunters. Then, he quietly climbed up the fire escape to the roof.

Once at the top, he slid a tiny explosive into the door leading back into the building. It made a loud firecracker bang, then he pulled the door open. Dashing down the stairs, he came to a seemingly deserted hallway and stopped to breathe. As he did, he saw a man, a woman, and two small children come out of an office near the end of the hall.

"Well, Mr. Bailey. I assure you that this matter will be dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. Until then, I wish you and your son the best," the woman replied.

Duo blinked. No question about it; it was Setsuna Meioh talking to Roderick Bailey, Secretary of Defense.

"Of course, Meioh. You've never let us down before," Bailey replied. "Boys, I think you ought to thank Miss Meioh for letting you play on her computer."

The two children's faces were dour and cold. Duo shivered. He knew one of them well. While one "boy" had blond, almost white hair, the other had reddish hair, and a large bump on the side of "his" head.

"Thank you Miss Meioh," they replied in a single voice.

But Setsuna didn't flinch. "You're very welcome. It was nice meeting you, Aaron, Elijah."

"Right then. We'll keep in touch, Meioh," Bailey replied, leading the Leute away.

Bailey paid no notice to Duo standing in the stairwell, but the Leute were more observant. Particularly "Aaron", who stopped and gawked at Duo incredulously at first, then angrily as he reached for something in his denim jacket. However, the other Leute touched his comrade's arm, and he stopped. The blond opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment, Bailey called for them both to hurry along.

They glared at Duo, who uncontrollably shivered, then walked away.

"You're late," Setsuna said after they had disappeared down the hallway. "Come in my office before Security catches up with you and starts asking questions."

His mouth dropped as she led him into a large office with a lovely view of the skyline. She pointed to a wheeled leather chair across the desk from her own, and he sat.

"Coffee?" she asked, pouring a cup for herself from the machine on the counter along the wall behind her.

"Um…no. No," he blinked and shook his head. "And what the hell do you mean, I'm late?"

"I expected you to be pounding on my door five minutes ago, regardless of my meeting. Should I assume you waited out of courtesy?" Setsuna asked.

"Meeting? With the Leute?" Duo gasped.

She shook her head calmly. "No, with Roderick Bailey. Of course, Eljira controls him, but it is necessary to keep up appearances."

"And the other one? Aethrin?" he pressed.

"Eljira's body guard, I assume. Even with their excellent intelligence, I doubt they would've known enough about your visit to bother sending one of their assassins to kill you," Setsuna answered.

"Kill me? Why just me?"

"It's not just you. You're just the easiest to get at, like Kino was. Let's look at the facts. You'd have to have the devil's luck to catch Heero, Trowa would know if someone was trailing him days before they made a move, Quatre has enough bodyguards to form his own army, and attacking Wufei and Sally is suicide," Setsuna explained. "Meanwhile, you're frequently on your own, the government doesn't trust you, and there are less than ten people who will miss you if you die."

"Gee thanks. Anything else nice you'd like to say about me?" Duo rolled his eyes.

"You're very good at running," she commented, smirking slightly and sipping her coffee. "Any other questions?"

"Yeah, a lot actually. First off: You mentioned someone named Eljira?" he asked.

"Eljira ak Zhul. That was the blond one who left with Aethrin and Bailey. He's posing as the Secretary's adopted son, Elijah Bailey. I've got people keeping a close eye on him. It seems he may be one of the main leaders amongst the Leute," Setsuna answered.

"Who are these "people" anyways?" he put his hands behind his head and leaned the chair back.

"Descendents of friends of the Royal Family of Crystal Tokyo. That's how we were made aware of this problem. You can trust their accuracy," she replied.

"Huh. Really," Duo leaned forward. "Come on, Setsuna. Even if this is all true, how are these "friends" going to prove anything?"

She shrugged. "We can't make people believe, Duo. If we ignore warning signs, if we dismiss omens because they point to a seemingly ridiculous end, we will be faced with destruction. And should anyone who believed the scenario survive," she paused and took another drink of coffee. "Well then, I think we'll be hearing "I told you so" for a long time."

"Do _you_ believe any of this?"

She leaned forward and rested her chin on her folded hands. Her eyes were very grave. "I believe it all, Duo. It will be a pity for the human race if I am the only one."

The two stared at each other for what seemed like hours.

"I guess that settles it then," Duo answered softly, then leaned back again. "So what can I do to help?"

"I was hoping you'd ask that," Setsuna said, then opened the drawer of her desk and handed him a small packet containing a passport, a credit card, and a shuttle ticket to L3. "I actually have a group of informers that I'd like you to check in on. Last I've heard, they've found some very good information dealing with new elements of Leute technology, but they don't want to risk sending the information here to Earth. I was actually on my way to see them in case you didn't show, but since you did, everything is ready ahead of time."

Duo blinked in bewilderment at her. "Are you like, a psychic or something?"

She smiled and patted his shoulder. "Of course not. It's like I said before: I'm very good at what I do. Now, the group consists of three females, but don't worry about age or features because they frequently change their appearances. They go by the name "Red Delta", and are usually operational in urban areas during the evening. If I were you, I'd check clubs, bars, hotels, restaurants, any sort of nightlife on L3."

"Hey, this doesn't sound too bad!" Duo grinned, intrigued by the thoughts of looking for beautiful women in exotic nightclubs. "How will I know them when I see them?"

"Don't worry, they'll know you. They won't be looking for you though, so you'd better hope they find you and recognize you. Now, I'd go out the back way if I were you. Robert and Louis have a tendency to remember faces," she answered. "And Duo…"

"Yeah?"

She tossed something at him. He caught it without thinking, then paused as he eyed it. It was a small, easily concealed handgun.

"Just a precaution," she replied, then gathered her things in a briefcase and walked out.

* * *

Sally kept glaring at Wufei the entire time as she moved Amy to the couch and pressed a cold washcloth to her forehead.

"What's your problem?" he muttered, piling the bodies of the dead Leute in the corner. Persephone the kitten stared curiously at them, then meowed loudly. Wufei gritted his teeth, but otherwise ignored the entire thing.

"Damn it Chang! You've been with the Preventors for ten years, and you _still_ haven't managed to pick up any people skills? What the hell is the matter with you?" she snapped.

He stared her angry look down. "I don't let friendship get in the way of my job."

"This isn't about friendship! This is about treating a human being with civility!"

"She's almost fifteen hundred. You still think she's human?"

Sally gasped in shock at him, but Wufei was unfazed.

"How is she so different from the Leute? Granted, she didn't try to kill us, but what did Meioh say about the legend? That the Senshi were waiting until the right time to regain control?" he asked.

Sally bit her lip. It was true. The reason that the ancient guardians and the Leute were at war was for the control of Earth. Realistically, _none_ of these people should be trusted.

"Still…" she began, then stopped as Amy moaned and opened her eyes. Shooting one more look at Wufei, she gently patted the side of her face.

"Amy? Amy, you okay?" she asked.

"Unh…Sally?" the woman murmured, sitting up. "What happened?"

"You passed out," Sally answered calmly.

Amy paled. "That's right. I did, didn't I? Because…" She moaned again and put her head in her hands.

Sally put a hand on her shoulder. "You want to talk about it?"

"No," Amy answered, then looked up and sighed. "But I'll have to, won't I?"

Her friend smiled weakly. "Hey, this is the whole reason we came to see you. We wanted to know. There's a few more of us now who know this whole thing about the Leute. Ever since Kino…um…"

"Died," Amy finished sadly. "I saw it on the news."

"I'm really sorry Amy," Sally said.

Amy shook her head. "She did her best; she always did. That's how Jupiter operated."

"So Lita Kino _was_ Jupiter?" Wufei confirmed.

The blue haired woman nodded. "Yes. And despite what I said before, I _am_ Mercury. I guess…I guess I wasn't ready to accept that again so suddenly. Especially since I've been scared out of my mind ever since I heard about Mako-chan. Or Lita, as she was going by."

"So, you've dealt with the Leute before?" Sally asked.

"Oh god…hundreds of times. Over years and years and years," Amy answered. "I'm assuming you figured out my age?"

"1,476 years old, right?" she said.

"Actually, 1,475. My birthday's in September," she smiled slightly.

"Oh yeah, I remember," Sally replied.

"So…can you tell us more about the Leute?" Wufei pressed.

Amy's face twisted into an expression of pain and sadness. "The Leute? They're monsters. From what I understand, their planet was once much like ours, but died out sometime around 3100. During its fall, they focused on building vessels that could transport its people to our planet. They'd researched it some time ago; researched _us_. Our lifestyle is not so very different from theirs, though their technology is more advanced than ours. Our very DNA is 98% identical. Once they'd landed, it was no trouble for them to blend it.

"From there, they only meant to live among us. But because they were always seen as children, they were treated like children. Locked away in group homes, forced to live on the streets, and imprisoned in laboratories when they did not age. Oh, history does sometimes exaggerate. They never attacked earth first. They rebelled, and fought for the rights of their people. And they won it.

"But soon, that wasn't good enough. They wanted to treat us the way we had treated them. They formed their own societies, their own government, and overthrew humans on the planet. Then, they started their holocaust. Humans were treated as slaves, as test subjects, even as a food source. It was the darkest time of our history. For the first time ever, _we_ became an endangered species.

"That was when Serenity led us Senshi against the Leute. It was a difficult battle, and I don't want to explain the details of some of the disgusting things we had to do to win, but in the end, we _did_ win. The Leute were destroyed. And the Earth was so grateful, Serenity became queen. That was the dawn of Crystal Tokyo.

"Years passed, and we noticed unrest amongst the people. Serenity met with representatives, but they seemed content. It was as if nothing was wrong. Then one night, we were attacked. By 70% of Crystal Tokyo! They had weapons, which shocked us because weapons had been banned at the start of Serenity's reign. The attack took us by surprise, and we barely escaped with our lives. We realized then that the revolt was organized by the Leute who had once again reinserted themselves amongst the populace that now sheltered them rather than hunted them.

"There was no way for us to fight back. Serenity ordered we disband and live as civilians, and to keep our eyes out for Leute. That's what we've been doing for the past four hundred odd years. Living normal lives, and moving whenever danger came to close."

Sally and Wufei looked at each other, then at the woman before them. There was no doubt anymore that her story was true.

"But why did the people suddenly accept the Leute if they'd tortured everyone those years before?" Sally asked.

Amy smiled grimly. "I told you, they're a technologically advanced people. One of their most brilliant creations is the process of altering brain signals."

"What? How can that be possible?" she gasped.

"I don't know how it all works, but basically, they have brain surgeons among them that can read the signals in your brain that come out as memories, dreams, personality, methods of reasoning, anything. In less than an hour with one of these surgeons, they could completely wipe your mind, make you into a supporter, give you dreams about world conquest, and even make the way you see the world around you change," Amy explained.

"So it's brainwashing?" Wufei asked.

"Brainwashing to the nth degree. Once all of this happens, the only way it can be reversed is by a Leute brain surgeon. And you can bet all the money in the world that once you're the way they want you, they will never change you back into the person you were. Never," she responded, then dropped her voice to a low whisper, so soft it was as if she weren't aware she were speaking it. "It happened to one of us."

"What? Who?"

Amy blinked and paled, then shut her eyes and shook her head. "No. No! That's why I told you I can't be Sailor Mercury anymore. If the Leute don't find me, _she_ will."

"She?" Wufei continued.

"NO!" Amy yelled, then rubbed her temples. "Look…you guys need help dealing with the Leute, right? That was the reason you came to find me?"

"Yeah…" Sally answered.

"Okay, then I'll make you a deal. I'll help you deal with the Leute. But _just_ the Leute. I can't help you with finding the others or making them join. But I promise I'll cooperate with providing any other information you want," Amy explained.

Sally and Wufei looked at each other.

"Give us a moment?" Sally asked. Amy nodded, and the two stepped into the kitchen.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked.

"I understand her not wanting to show off her powers. It's difficult to know whom you can trust. But she's offering information, which we're definitely going to need," Wufei pointed out.

"But no information on the other Senshi," Sally countered.

"We should take what we can get. If worse comes to worse, we'll get the truth out of her," he answered solemnly.

"Chang…"

He smirked sarcastically. "She's in?"

Sally paused, then nodded. "She's in."

They went back into the living room, where Amy was now stroking Persephone. She looked up at them with wide blue eyes.

"Well?"

Sally smiled. "You've got a deal, Amy."


	6. Segment 6

Yeah, you guessed it.  Still own nothing.

Segment 6:

Stars in Heaven

_Summary:_

_            Duo visits the ESIA building in Brussels in hopes of meeting with Setsuna.  After breaking past security, he is shocked to find that two Leute, Eljira ak Zhul and the assassin Aethrin had been present at a meeting between Setsuna and the Secretary of Defense, Roderick Bailey.  Later, Setsuna explains that Eljira is posing as Bailey's son, and hold's his "father's" position through control over him.  Setsuna then tells Duo to go to L3 to find an informant group simply known as "Red Delta".  Meanwhile, Sally revives Amy and she and Wufei begin to question her.  Amy reveals the true story of Crystal Tokyo, then goes on to explain a horrific process used by the Leute to gain human followers.  She agrees to help the Preventors gather information on the Leute, in exchange for the promise that she will not have to show herself as Sailor Mercury, nor will she have to interact with any of the other Senshi._

            **Quatre stood in the library of his home**, absentmindedly running his fingers over the wood paneling of the cabinet that housed his violin.  He didn't play often now, but he still did on occasion.  But on this night, his mind was elsewhere.

            It had been about a week since he'd returned to L4.  He had only remained on Earth for a day and a half, and left when Haruka called him to say that she wouldn't be coming back with him.  Reluctantly, he agreed to leave her behind and start searching for the Senshi on his own.

            Wufei had sent a short e-mail the day before saying that the Preventor's had secured the aid of Mizuno Ami, aka, Sailor Mercury.  Quatre was relieved, but only so much.  There had been a lead on the search for Mercury, and she'd been found in less than two days.  But the other two, Venus and Mars, were proving to be more difficult.  There was some history of an old pop idol in the late first century named Aino Minako, but she had died in AC 103.  As for Hino Rei, there was nothing.

            Quatre sighed, wishing Haruka had come back.  In the past decade, he'd come to rely on her sound advice and reluctant helpfulness.  And yet, she confused him.  As far as he knew, she had no family, no job outside of helping him, and no other contacts.  He was embarrassed to admit that he didn't even know her last name.  All common sense told him that he shouldn't trust her, or at the very least, that he should _ask_ her about some of these things.  But…she was Haruka.  For twenty-five years, she'd been watching him, whether from the shadows or from a distance.  If there was something he needed to know, he would most likely have found it out by now.

            Pacing slowly across the polished wood floor of the library, he looked at the walls of books.  He'd read most of them, but he remembered very few.  Most of the volumes were the histories of the Winner family, or else they were technical manuals or other such exhausting books.  No, the best books, the classic novels and art books and biographies were shelved between the large brick fireplace and the tall windows that looked out onto the back lawn.

            His eyes wandered upwards to the top shelves where trophies, vases, and other breakable artifacts were displayed.  He smiled slightly as he remembered one such item, a clear crystal ball the size of his fist that held a rose bud.  Not just any rose bud, but the first that had ever grown on a space colony, the first that had grown in space at all.  The ball was a family heirloom, and Quatre's father had been furious when he'd caught his son scaling the shelves in order to reach it.

            Now, Quatre scanned the shelves for the rose, but there was no sign of it.  Frowning, he slid the wheeled ladder over to the shelf and climbed up.  Blowing the dust from the shelf, he looked around.  Pushed back against the corner was the little tripod the orb rested on, situated on top of its box.  Carefully, he retrieved both the tripod and the box, then climbed down.

            Setting the tripod on the coffee table, he sat on the antique wine-red couch and opened the box.  He gently pulled the crystal out of the newspaper it was wrapped in, and marveled at how it caught the light from the fire.  The rose was a darker red than he remembered, more like dried blood than a cardinal's wing.  It seemed to sparkle as the flickering light teased and caressed it through its thick hard casing.

            He stared at it for a while more, then stood up.  Picking up the tripod from the table, Quatre set it on the fireplace mantle, then placed the orb on top.  He stepped back, satisfied that the beautiful item was given better justice there rather than on the top of the bookshelves.  However, the box, slightly moldy and very faded, could return to its old home.

            Quatre picked it up and was about to put the lid back on when a scrap of the newspapers that had cushioned the rose caught his eye.

            _PSYCHIC GIRL FOUND IN JAPAN!_

            Raising an eyebrow, he pulled the paper out.  It was a page from an old tabloid, dated April 17, 174.  He doubted he should take the story no more seriously than the one below it ("Bat Boy Runs For President!"), but there was a name in the first paragraph that sounded awfully familiar.

            Raye Hino.

            The spelling was different, but the name sounded the same.  Smoothing the crumpled, yellowed paper against the surface of the coffee table, he began to read.

            _Found living alone in a decrepit Shinto temple in Tokyo, Raye Hino was at first assumed to be a harmless though insane woman.  However, further psychological testing on her has revealed the fact she is in fact a psychic.  Not only is her power demonstrated through clairvoyance, but it also appears she has some minor telepathy, ESP, and even pyrokinetic talents._

_            Currently, Miss Hino is a resident at Saint Teresa's Mental Institution, and_

_            CONTINUED ON PAGE 7_

            Quatre cursed under his breath as he searched through the other scraps of paper in the box.  While there was one more page from the tabloid included, it was not page seven.  The rest of the story was lost.

            Not to be defeated, Quatre half ran to his office and sat down at his computer.  Quickly he typed in the name of the newspaper, hoping to bring up the website.  However, there was nothing.  It was just too old.  Moving on, he brought up Saint Teresa's website.  He was met with the lovely picture of a pretty young woman pushing a smiling old lady in a wheelchair.  Scrolling down the page, he was about to hit a link to the hospital's location, when he froze.

            In very small print at the bottom of the page, words were written.

            _Saint Teresa's exists due to the generous funding courtesy of the Romefeller Foundation._

            Romefeller.

            That one word alone was enough to make him rethink looking into the story of Raye Hino entirely.  Because if he was going to deal with the Romefeller Foundation…

            He sighed and picked up the phone.  As he dialed, several bad memories flashed through his mind.  When the person on the other end of the phone answered, his voice was more than a little shaky.  "Dorothy?  It's Quatre."

            **In a coffee shop on the natural resource satellite MO-IV**, Trowa and Lady Une sat opposite each other staring out the window at the endless expanse of space.  Both had been silent ever since they'd ordered the two cappuccinos upon entering.  But now, Lady Une clenched her fists.

            "I can't believe how stupid these people are," she muttered, her gaze hard as she watched the Earth miles and miles away.

            Trowa touched her hand.  "You did everything you could."

            "That wasn't enough," Lady Une retorted, then glanced apologetically at him.  "It's just so frustrating.  Why can't they see?  Why are they ignoring this new threat?"

            "Not enough concrete evidence," his voice echoed the exact words the funding manager had spat at them when they'd requested money and equipment for their mission.  Though Lady Une had argued for well over a week, even showing the proof of Mizuno Ami's existence, still they'd been denied.

            "They'll have all the evidence they need when we're all locked in cages and the Earth becomes a charred ball of dust," she said bitterly.  "Did you know even Relena is doubtful about this whole thing?"

            Trowa nodded.  "Heero's been in contact with her.  She'll wear down eventually."

            "Hopefully we'll have _something_ to defend ourselves with by the end of the month," Lady Une agreed.

            Her companion looked thoughtful for a few moments, then locked his gaze with her.  "Do you want children?"

            She blinked in surprise.  "What brought that question on all of a sudden?" she asked, resting her chin in her hand.

            Trowa didn't answer, but studied her face closely.  "I want to know if you want children."

            "Hm…eventually, I suppose," Lady Une answered dubiously.

            "What about now?" he pressed.

            She raised an eyebrow and laughed softly.  "We're kind of busy right now, don't you think?  I can't really afford being out of commission for nine months."

            Trowa lowered his chin.  "We could adopt."

            Lady Une stared at him, still confused.  However, her brain slowly processed his suggestion.  She paled and shook her head.  "No…no…Trowa, no…"

            "It's our only option," he remarked.

            "I don't care!  Do you realize the risk?  What they're capable of doing to us?  For god's sake, you read that information Mercury provided!" she cried.

            Trowa folded his hands over hers.  "I understand what kind of a chance we're taking.  But if we get a Leute in our custody, we'll be able to figure out everything Mercury can't tell us.  We may have to put ourselves in danger, but for the others this information could be vital."

            "Or we could end up killing them," Lady Une answered.

            "What would you prefer?  That the Leute torture them to insanity?" he asked quietly.

            She stared at him, swallowed hard, then reached across the table to run her hand down his cheek.  "You really want to do this?"

            He nodded, and kissed her palm.  "I promise you, if it gets rough, I'll get you out of it."

            "No, Trowa.  If we're going to do this, we're going to do this together.  Even if it means we'll both take it to the grave," she said.

            Trowa held her hand against his cheek again for a few moments, then closed his eyes.  "All right then.  We'll do it together.  No matter what happens."

            **The woman who opened the door to the large white mansion** was considered by many to be one of the most attractive single women in the colonies.  Quatre's reaction to her was little different; only a bit more repressed, if anything.  But that didn't stop her.

            "Quatre!  It's nice to see you again," she smiled seductively at him.

            "Yes, nice to see you too Dorothy," he answered shortly, trying not to look at the low cut dress she was wearing.

            "Well, come into the parlor.  Lunch is ready, if you're hungry," Dorothy replied, leading him inside.

            The parlor was bright and airy, and a small table in the middle was set for the two of them.  Quatre warily sat down, but did not touch any of the food or the iced tea that was poured out into the cups.  He knew he was being more than a little rude, but he didn't care.  Neither did Dorothy, apparently, who was watching him amusedly.

            "Jumpy, aren't you?" she commented, taking a drink of the tea.  "Don't worry; nothing's poisoned, and there aren't any snipers hiding behind the piano."

            Quatre blushed ever so slightly.  "You're not exactly the person to trust, Dorothy.  You have tried to kill me before."

            "Ah, but you married me anyways didn't you?" she laughed.

            Quatre looked down in his lap sheepishly.  He always wondered why he'd made that mistake.  Somehow, he'd convinced himself that he'd done it all for political reasons.  A union between Romefeller and Winner would've made his heirs rich beyond belief.  But luckily, he'd divorced her long before he had to worry about that.  However, as he felt Dorothy's hypnotic eyes bore into his forehead, memories of nights in the desert with her came flooding back.

            Shaking his head to clear away the images, he took a drink of the iced tea.  "Um…you don't suppose we could talk about something else?"

            "Oh, if the past bothers you that much, we can," Dorothy answered.  "So tell me, why _did_ you come to visit?  Obviously not to reminisce."

            "No.  I was wondering if you could tell me about Saint Teresa's," he inquired.

            Dorothy frowned in thought, then shrugged.  "It was founded long before my grandfather was born.  I think it was his grandfather.  His wife went insane, so he started Saint Teresa's in her honor."

            "Where is it?"

            "Virginia.  I'm not sure of the exact city, but I can probably find the address if you're planning to visit," she replied.  Her eyes sparked with interest.  "Are you?"

            "Am I what?"

            "Planning to visit."

            Quatre bit his lip, unsure of how much to tell Dorothy.  She could be counted on to keep a secret, as long as no one offered her something she wanted in exchange for it.  "Yes.  I recently found out a distant relation of mine is living there.  I was hoping I could get her released into my care."

            "Hm," she took another drink of tea.  "I suppose being the head of the Winner family this is unnecessary, but should I put in a good word for you?"

            His head jerk backwards in surprise.  "Uh…yeah, sure.  If you could.  But what's in it for you?"

            "Just a little favor from your ex-wife.  Nothing more.  Unless," the seductive look on her face returned.  "You'd care to relive some old times?"

            He shook his head.  "No.  That wouldn't be good for either of us."

            She shrugged.  "Your loss."

            "You'll still help?"

            She smiled.  "Of course.  I said I would, wouldn't I?  Maybe you should give me a little more credit."

            The rest of the meal was quiet and uneventful, peppered with little comments about the weather.  Afterwards, Quatre stood and Dorothy walked him back to the door where his car was waiting.

            "It really was good to see you again, Quatre," she said, almost sincerely.

            Quatre, unable to resist, kissed her cheek.  "Take care, Dorothy."

            "Oh, you know I will, dear.  You know I will."


	7. Segment 7

I own nothing.

Segment 7:

Heaven Dreamt, Hell Realized

_Summary:_

_            While reflecting on the events of the past week, Quatre comes across a scrap of newspaper proclaiming the discovery of a "psychic girl".  Upon reading it, the name "Raye Hino" surfaces, and he makes a connection between the name and that of Hino Rei.  Meanwhile, Trowa and Lady Une have been denied the funding necessary to infiltrate the Leute, so they decide upon an alternate, more dangerous plan; to adopt a Leute posing as a child.  Dorothy Catalonia receives a visit from her ex-husband, Quatre, and they discuss the psychiatric hospital known as Saint Teresa's.  She agrees to provide information for him, and he departs for Earth._

**            Amy Mizuno,**also known as Amy Anderson and Mizuno Ami, stood alone on the deserted stretch of pebble-strewn beach.  She closed her eyes and inhaled, letting the invigorating scents of salt, rain, and ocean fill her nostrils.  But the wind was sharp too.  It seemed no matter where she went, everywhere it was cold.  Though there was less bite in the air than there'd been in Kiel, Oregon wasn't proving to be much warmer.  However, she had once been a mistress of ice; the cold didn't bother her as much as it did others.

            She released the breath in a sad sigh.  True, she was grateful to Sally for allowing her these few hours alone, but she knew it wasn't enough.  How could she expect them to understand?  Understand the pain answering all those questions brought.  She had sworn to tell nothing about the other Senshi, but sometimes revealing little details was unavoidable.  Still, most things had been kept secret.

            The worst of it all was the endlessness of it.  It would've been easier if it had been Sally doing the questioning, or even if it were her dour, somewhat intimidating partner Wufei.  But it never was.  Usually it was a man called Jack Marseile, who always asked things she had no answer to, or else a woman named Angela DeLantre, who was underhanded and frequently tried to trick her into answering dangerous questions.  So now, more than ever, Amy appreciated the break.

            "You've lost weight, Ami-chan," a soft voice commented.  Amy's eyes snapped open and her breath caught in her throat.  She knew that voice.

            Slowly, she turned around and came face to face with Meioh Setsuna.

            "Setsuna-san…" she murmured.

            Setsuna smiled, and placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulder.  "Hello, Ami-chan."

            "H-how did you find me here?" Amy stammered, taking a step back.

            "Sally told me you'd be here."

            "_Sally?"_

The ESIA agent turned to face the water.  "Of course.  How else do you think she knew?"

            Amy shook her head in disbelief.  "You mean you actually told her?  About us?  The Leute?  Serenity?"

            "Not everything," Setsuna admitted.  "And some thing's had to be glossed over a bit, but she knows the basics.  They all do."

            "They?"

            "Wufei, Heero, Quatre, Trowa, Duo, maybe even Zechs and Lucrezia, if Lady Une has them involved," she replied.

            Amy cocked her head.  "Setsuna, who are you talking about?"

            "Don't tell me you've forgotten Quatre already," a gruff voice muttered.

            Setsuna smiled as a sandy-haired woman made her way down the beach towards them.  "Haruka.  I was wondering if you'd appear here."

            Amy paled.  She'd been surprised to see Setsuna, but now she was terrified to see Haruka.  "Haruka-san?  What are you doing here?"

            "I was in Salem.  Setsuna told me to meet you two here," she answered shortly.

            The three women looked at each other in silence.

            Amy shook her head and looked out at the ocean.  "Funny how much all of us have changed.  I mean, if this were Crystal Tokyo, it wouldn't be this awkward for us to just talk to each other."

            "People always change, Ami-chan.  We're no exception to that," Setsuna answered quietly.

            "So why is it you wanted me out here?" Haruka asked, breaking the nostalgic mood.

            Setsuna's expression hardened as an aura of business descended upon her.  "We need to keep each other updated.  Things are going to pick up from here, I think.  No doubt the Leute know about Ami-chan by now.  Not only will she be a target, but if we start emerging, they'll be scared into making a move.  I'm worried about what it might be."

            "You're the Guardian of Time and you have no clue?" Haruka blinked.

            "There are several possible outcomes.  If they _do_ have one of the others, they may increase efforts to get power or answers from them.  Or, they may decide to launch their attack on Earth, if they don't have one of us.  Or else they could go off and do something completely random," she answered.

            "So nothing is set in stone then," Amy looked back at them.

            Setsuna nodded.  "Be very careful, Ami-chan.  Haruka and I are still fairly safe, but you've been exposed.  Don't go off by yourself like this again.  Stay in the cities, preferably with Sally or Wufei.  Trust only those people I named before."

            "Quatre's going to be a little busy though," Haruka pointed out.  At this, even Setsuna was puzzled.

            "What do you mean?" she asked, frowning.

            "He's going after Rei.  I got a phone call from him last night.  We're going to Saint Teresa's this weekend to get her," Haruka answered.

            "What?" Amy gasped.  "Haruka, are you crazy?  You, of all people…"

            "Hey, your hands aren't exactly clean either," she shot back.  Amy flinched.

            Haruka narrowed her eyes, sighed, and went on.  "If anyone can help her, it'll be Quatre.  He's a good kid."

            "He's twenty-five years old, Haruka.  Hardly a "kid" anymore," Setsuna replied.

            "Oh!  Quatre Raberba Winner!  That's the little boy whose picture is in your wallet, isn't it Haruka-san?" Amy cried.

            Haruka blushed slightly.  "Yeah…yeah.  Catherine's son."

            Setsuna smiled at her usually cold friend.  "You must be proud of him, Haruka.  He's grown into a kind, caring man.  You're right, if anyone can bring Rei-chan back to us, he can."

            "I hope so," Amy said softly.  "I really hope so."

            Setsuna gently patted her on the back.  "Courage, Ami-chan.  Courage."

            For the first time since she had left her home, since she had left the life she had loved and dreamed of all her life, Amy smiled.  "Thank you, Setsuna-san.  And Haruka-san."

            "Hn," Haruka grunted.  "I'll keep in touch," she muttered, then strode off down the beach in the direction she'd come.

            "Remember what I said about being alone," Setsuna warned, then followed Haruka off into the mists.

            Amy smiled again and shook her head, then picked up a small stone from the ground and hurled it into the waves.

**            Shuttle Alpha 47,** destined to land on the moon in the area of four hours, was delayed.  Heero sat in the waiting area with his laptop open and a bottle of water next to him.  His eyes scanned down the collections of useless information on Crystal Tokyo, information Mizuno Ami had confirmed via an E-mail from Wufei a few days ago.  While the questions of the past were being answered, and the information on the Leute was certainly helpful, the former Senshi's wealth of memories and answers were starting to wear thin.

            Taking a gulp of water, he checked his e-mail.  Nothing.  This wasn't a good sign; Trowa and Lady Une were supposed to have adopted a Leute by now, and Duo was having no luck locating "Red Delta" in the colonies.  It was as if everything had stopped.

            Suddenly, Heero's cell phone rang.  He frowned; very few people knew his number.  Pulling it out of his backpack, he quickly answered.

            "What is it?" he greeted shortly.

            "Are you near a TV?" a low voice asked.

            Heero narrowed his eyes.  "Who is this?"

            There was a hesitation, as if the person on the other end of the line was trying to decide how to answer.  "You know."

            Realization dawned on him.  "Zechs."

            "Wherever you are, turn on the TV or else get to a news site on the net," Zechs answered.  "There's something you ought to see."

            Heero quickly got on the Global News Net.  He blinked as he saw a video window open.

            In it was a young boy (girl?) with white blond hair and penetrating black eyes.  He recognized the child as Elijah Bailey, the Secretary of Defense's son.  In the background was Roderick Bailey himself, being restrained by two more children, a blond and a redhead.  Both had similar black eyes.  Normally, this would be a cause for alarm, but Bailey appeared calm, even indifferent to the situation.  It was as if he didn't even realize anything going on around him.

            "Citizens of Earth Sphere," the white haired child began.  "You may recognize both the man behind me and myself.  I am known to you as Elijah Bailey, son of Roderick Bailey.  However, the time has come to end that little delusion."

            Other people who'd been waiting for the shuttle began to watch the computer screen from behind Heero.  All wore expressions of shock, confusion, and fear.  All except Heero, of course.

            "My name is Eljira ak Zhul.  I am the Head of Leute Society.  For centuries, we have lived on this planet and on your colonies, Earth citizens.  And for centuries, we have been imprisoned into the lives of children, been forced to hide amongst the weakest of you for fear of persecution.  We are not of this world, and are therefore seen as enemies.  And for this," a cruel smile crossed Eljira's pale face.  "we have indeed become your enemies."

            Suddenly, Eljira whirled around and waved a hand towards the other two Leute.  The blond instantly shoved Roderick Bailey to his knees, while the other produced a long, surrogated knife.  In one swift movement, the red haired Leute shoved the knife into Roderick's throat and slashed downwards to his navel.  And even as the Secretary died, with blood spurting out of the long gash in his torso, he still did not seem to realize anything going on.

            Eljira turned back to the camera, smile gone.  "This is a warning, Earth citizens.  Your world is about to change.  The Leute will not stand for your discrimination and abuse any longer."

            The window went black.

            Heero raised his head and looked around at the people staring at the computer screen.  Many were crying.  Others were just staring at it in shock, unsure of weather it was real or not.  An elderly couple a few feet away were holding each other closely.

            Slowly, Heero brought the cell phone back up to his face.  "Zechs?"

            "I'm still here," he answered.

            "Where can we rendezvous?"

            "Noin is in Osaka for the week.  I'm flying down to meet her tomorrow," Zechs answered.

            "Tomorrow night then.  1900 hours.  The Global Spaceport," Heero answered.

            Zechs hesitated again.  "Even in a national emergency, you never change Heero"

            They hung up.****

**            Back on L4,** it was storming outside.  Dorothy stood in the parlor where she'd had lunch with Quatre two days before and stared out the window.  It never made sense to her what the point of a storm was, what the colony officials were trying to do when they set up a storm with the weather system.  Rain was understandable, but a near hurricane conditions like there was now?

            She ran a finger down the cool, damp windowpane, boredom sinking in.  She wasn't really ready to go to bed, but there was little else to do.  Unless…

            Smiling to herself and shaking her head, she walked to a closet near the door and drew out a long black raincoat.

            "Nancy?" she called to the housekeeper who was currently cleaning up the kitchen.  "I'm going out for a walk!"

            "In this weather?" the elderly woman cried, but Dorothy was gone before there could be any argument.

            She enjoyed the feel of the rain pelting down on her hooded head.  The thunder sent shivers of excitement down her back and pumped adrenaline through her veins.  The lightning illuminated the soaked trees and made the rain look like billions of falling stars.  She breathed in deep.  Something about the storm made her feel alive, made her feel powerful.

            As she walked, she softly hummed some nameless tune she'd heard at some point in her childhood.  But moments later, barely audible beneath the thunder and rain, she heard someone else humming too.

            She stopped, and listened.  The hummer stopped as well.  Slowly, she reached inside her jacket and drew out a gun.

            "Who's there?  Show yourself!" she demanded, looking around.

            Sure enough, a few feet to her left a petite figure emerged from the darkness.

            "I'm sorry," a feminine voice apologized.  "I'm trespassing aren't I?  Please forgive me."

            Dorothy blinked and narrowed her eyes.  "I suppose…"

            The woman before her had no raincoat, and wore simply a red sweater and a pair of jeans.  Her face was red from the cold and she looked feverish.

            "Um…you all right?" she asked.

            "I'm fine," the woman answered, but hugged her body tightly.  Her eyes looked upwards and locked with Dorothy's.  "You don't suppose I could stop in and warm up in your home though, could I?"

            "Abso—" Dorothy began, about to send the transient packing, but another flash of lightning suddenly reveal the woman in her entirety to her.  A slow, scheming smile spread across the heiress's face as she recognized her.  "Of course," she replied.  "Right this way."

            As she led the woman back to the mansion, she tried not to laugh at the irony.


	8. Segment 8

I own nothing.

Segment 8:

Disillusionment

_Summary:_

_            Amy is confronted by Setsuna and Haruka, who are not as hostile as she expected.  Haruka explains how she and Quatre are planning on releasing Rei from Saint Teresa's, and alludes to Quatre's ability to "bring her back."  Before they leave, Setsuna warns Amy not to go off by herself, because she thinks the Leute are about to make a move.  Sure enough, Heero receives a phone call from Zechs Marquise that tells him to connect to a news server.  Elijah Bailey, the Secretary of Defense's son, reveals himself as being a Leute and murders his father during an illegal public broadcast.  With the world in a panic, Heero arranges to meet Zechs and Noin in Osaka.  On L4, a mysterious young woman appears on Dorothy's estate, asking for a shelter for the night.  Dorothy agrees, and muses on "the irony."_

            **"You say you've been searching for nearly two weeks?"** Sally asked.

            Duo leaned back in his seat on the bus and held his cell phone to his ear.  "Yeah.  Still no sign of 'em.  I'm tempted to go back and see if Meioh was really telling the truth when she said Red Delta was active on L3."

            "Maybe they've been scared into hiding since Bailey's murder.  If Setsuna's against the Leute, then they'd probably be out to get her informants, wouldn't they?" she reasoned.

            "It's possible, but even before then I didn't have anything.  I mean, I tried everything.  Bribery, blackmail, you name it," he answered.

            "Just keep trying.  Amy's being a big help to us.  She's got names of several Leute authority figures that she's been supplying us with," Sally remarked.  "Heero's meeting with Zechs and Noin, Trowa and Une are bringing their kid home this week, and Quatre's going to visit a Hino Rei in Virginia."

            "So everyone's doing great except me," Duo muttered.

            "But hey, you get to have the most fun," she answered.  "Amy's not really the nightlife type."

            "Yeah yeah.  Okay, I'm almost to the rec district.  Periodic message in the morning?"

            "Looking forward to it.  I'll call if anyone else finds anything," she paused.  "You're bound to get something sooner or later, you know, Duo."

            "I hope so.  Later," he replied.

            "See ya," she hung up.

            Duo ended the call and stowed the phone in his jacket pocket.  He turned his head and scanned over the other passengers on the bus, wondering if any of them had heard the conversation too closely.  No; the bus was filled with dressed up twenty-somethings without cars all headed to L3's recreational district for a night of dancing, drinking, and mildly illegal activities.  He smiled slightly in relief, then caught the eye of a young woman with short black hair wearing a long deep indigo trenchcoat.  She eyed him back, face emotionless.  Duo shrugged and looked back out the window.  Probably not Red Delta; Setsuna said they'd know him.

            The bus pulled up to the stop and the passengers exited.  As he climbed down the stairs onto the faintly glowing sidewalk, Duo looked around.  There were about twenty clubs within the six-block district; he usually managed to check about eight clubs a night.  Ten if he didn't come across any "suspects", usually attractive young women wearing very little clothes.  But like Sally said, even if he was failing horribly at his mission, he was having the most fun.

            He wandered down to the end of the block and crossed the street.  Again he saw the woman with the short black hair, and decided to follow her into a euro-dance club he remembered called "La Lune."  However, once he was inside, the woman was lost amongst the crowd of people in the club.

            "Damn…this place is packed tonight…" he murmured to himself, and wondered if he should try somewhere else, but when he remembered the pretty waitress who'd been working there the night before, he decided against it and sat down at the bar.  Sure enough, the waitress walked past about ten minutes later, and he winked at her.  However, she just rolled her eyes and made an obscene gesture with the hand not holding a tray of drinks.

            He blinked in surprise, and turned his head when he heard laughter.  Another woman was sitting next to him at the bar, and obviously found his defeat amusing.

            "What?" he asked.

            She shook her head.  "No-nothing.  It's nothing," she stammered, putting a hand over her mouth.  "It's just…I know her, and she gets that a lot, and I like seeing her comebacks."

            "You know her?" Duo asked, a speculative gleam in his eye.  "Do you think you could—"

            "Trust me, she's not your type," the girl smiled.

            Duo inclined his head as he studied her.  Definitely attractive, with extremely short magenta hair that ended just above her chin.  Her baby blue eyes glittered flirtatiously, and contrasted nicely with the hair and the short violet halter dress she was wearing.  But there was something about her.  Something oddly familiar about her.  He shrugged.  He must've seen her here before.

            "And how do you know what my type would be?" he rested his chin on his fist and smirked.  "You don't even know me."

            "No, but trust me.  Guys like you are a dime a dozen," she commented.

            "Really?" Duo smiled.

            "Really," she smiled back.  "I've dated a more than a few long haired clowns who believe they're god's gift to women."

            He feigned hurt at this remark.  "I'm not a clown."

            She laughed hysterically and held out her hand.  "I'm Marie.  Marie Duma."

            "Duo Maxwell.  Pleasure to make your acquaintance," he replied, kissing the back of her hand.

            She narrowed her eyes.  "You're good.  Not _that_ good, but good."

            "Oh, like you wouldn't like it if I did it again," Duo commented.

            Marie stared challengingly at him.  "Maybe I wouldn't."

            "Well let's just see about it then," he countered, kissing her hand again, and then kissing his way up her arm.  She stopped him when he was at her bicep by putting the palm of her free hand against his forehead.

            "So tell me, are you this affectionate to all the girls you meet or are you just really desperate?" Marie asked.

            "If I tell you that, it kinda takes the mystery out of it, doesn't it?" Duo replied.

            "Sorry, I don't get into that on a first date unless you've bought me an expensive dinner and a bottle of fine wine," she replied.

            "You're not that hungry, are you?"

            The two stared at each other, and burst out laughing.  Marie stood up.  "Come on, Mr. Comedian, let's dance."

            "All right," he agreed as she led him to the middle of the floor.

            The beats from the music pumped their blood almost like a second heartbeat as they danced almost awkwardly close.  However, neither seemed to mind the lack of space, and in fact didn't seem to notice the rest of the crowd swayed and pulsed around them.  As the song switched, Duo grabbed Marie's hands and raised them upwards, spinning her around and holding her back flush to him as the dance became more sensual.  Smiling seductively, she shifted her hands to grip his wrists and pulled his hands slowly down her body.  They stayed like that for several minutes until Marie spun around again to face him.  However, Duo was not about to let her go, and grabbed her hands again, this time guiding them so that they rested around his neck.

            Marie grinned again and pulled his head down to whisper in his ear.  "I told you, you're good, but not _that _good."

            "That wasn't what you thought a minute ago," he quietly objected.

            "If we're going to argue, we should do it in my room," she answered.

            "Room?" Duo blinked.

            "In the hotel upstairs," she released herself from his grasp and walked off the floor, turning back to look at him.  "You coming?"

            "Hell yeah," he smiled triumphantly and followed her out of the club up a staircase near the back.  They walked through the deserted lobby and climbed into an elevator.  Marie pushed the button for the ninth floor, and they ascended.

            As the elevator rose, Duo couldn't help but remember what had happened the last time he had ridden an elevator.  His discomfort must have shown, because Marie stared at him quizzically.

            "What?" she asked.

            "Mm?  Oh, uh, nothing.  Just don't like elevators," he answered quickly.

            "You don't like elevators," she repeated, raising an eyebrow and sounding very unconvinced.

            "Um, yeah," he shrugged as the door opened.

            Marie shook her head and took his hand, leading him down the hallway.  She let go at room 963 to pull a keycard out from her purse and opened the door to the room.  It was just the basic hotel room, a double bed, door to the bathroom, mirror, TV, table and chairs, coffeemaker.  Nothing special.

            "Sorry it's not the deluxe suite," she apologized, tossing her purse in the corner, pulling off her black platform sandals, and handing him a hanger for his jacket.

            "No problem.  You here on business or pleasure?" Duo asked, hanging up his jacket.

            "A little of both," Marie gave him a half smile as she sat down on the bed.  "You?"

            "Same," Duo replied, sitting next to her and realizing how little the dress actually covered.

            "So…" she slowly traced her fingers up his arm.  "What do you want to do now?"

            "What do I want to do?" he smirked, leaned over and kissed her lips softly.  "That."

            "Okay," she agreed, kissing him back.  She shifted over so that she was on his lap, and pushed him down onto the bed.  When she pulled away, she brushed his hair from his eyes and whispered in his ear.

            "I am victorious."

            Before he could contemplate the similar familiarity of the words, Duo was aware of a sharp pain on the back of his neck and everything went black.

**            Lady Une looked over at Trowa as she parked the SUV**, searching for any sign of doubt or disapproval in what they were about to do.  As usual, his face was expressionless.  She sighed to herself.  Why should he be worried?  It was his plan after all.

            However, that didn't stop him from worrying about _her_.  As they stepped out, he took her hand.  "If you really don't want to do this…"

            "No.  It's like you said; we have no choice.  Come on," she answered headed towards the building.

            Trowa had been the one to discover that the Procyon Home for Children was a base of operations for the Leute.  Staffed by people who'd been "operated on", Leute were adopted into families, often powerful ones, from the orphanage.  They had made arrangements a few weeks ago to take in an "eleven-year-old girl named Dahlia."  They had met the Leute three or four times since they first came to the Procyon Home.  She seemed like a quiet reserved girl who liked to read, work with computers, and play cello, but was not very conversative and did not enjoy the outdoors at all.

            As they entered the large building, they were met by a smiling woman in her forties with curly blond hair and a short, plump body.  Normal as anyone would assume, but if they looked closely in her eyes, they saw that they were pitch black, without any color at all.

            "Miss Une!  Mr. Barton!  Good to see you!" she greeted warmly, shaking their hands.

            "Good to see you too Mrs. Barrow," Lady Une replied.  "Is Dahlia ready to go?"

            "I'm ready," she answered flatly, a signature of all Leute.

            Trowa's eyes wandered over to the "girl" standing in the doorway to the main office.  Her brown hair was short, another trademark, as well as the blackness of her eyes.  Her dress was normal, a red sweater, pair of jeans, a denim jacket, and sneakers.  A large duffel bag was slung over her shoulder and she was supporting her cello case with her right arm.

            Lady Une smiled as warmly as she could manage, which was barely enough to melt ice, and rested a hand on Dahlia's shoulder.

            "Hi Dahlia," she replied.

            "Hello Miss Une," Dahlia replied.

            "You don't have to call me "Miss Une", dear.  You can call me "Mom"," Lady Une replied, realizing how awkward it all sounded.  However, Mrs. Barrow didn't seem to notice.  She gave the girl a hug and a pat on the head.

            "We'll miss you, Dahlia.  Don't forget to write!" she replied.

            "I won't," Dahlia answered shortly.  She turned her head upwards slightly and locked eyes with Trowa.  For one brief instant, a look of resentment and distrust flashed through the blackness, then they became emotionless again.

            "Well, we should be on our way then," Lady Une replied, straightening.  Trowa nodded, and took the duffel bag from Dahlia.

            "Good luck!" Mrs. Barrow called as the three walked out the door.  "We'll miss you!  Visit us once in a while!"

            None of them paid attention.

            They stowed the duffel and cello in the back of the SUV, then Trowa opened the door in the back for Dahlia to climb in.  She didn't look up as she sat down and buckled her seatbelt, then stared straight ahead at the seat.  He looked at Lady Une for a moment, wanting desperately to talk to her about the child's behavior.  But he knew better.  Now more than ever, both of them would have to be on their guard about their actions, their words, and their behavior.  Above all else, they had to remember it was not a human child they had adopted, but a member of a race that had already proved its ability to murder in cold blood.

            Lady Une softened her expression as she looked at him, then shook her head and climbed in the drivers seat.

            It was silent for about ten minutes, before Dahlia spoke.

            "Are we going home?" she asked.

            "Not at first," Lady Une answered.  "We'll be here in the colonies for a while before we go back to Earth."

            "Where do you live on Earth?" Dahlia pressed.

            _Ah, so the quest for information begins_, she thought.  "In Italy," she answered.

            "Where in Italy?" the girl continued.

            Lady Une faked a laughed.  "Just a bunch of questions, aren't you?  If we tell you everything, there won't be any surprises, will there?"

            "I don't care much for surprises," Dahlia commented.

            "Neither do I," Trowa answered.  He felt Dahlia's eyes on him again, felt her distrust.  She would probably try to win over Une, then try to trick her into becoming another Leute slave.  That way she could just use her as a hostage.

            Trowa shot another glance at Lady Une, silently vowing to himself that he would protect her no matter what happened.  He would not allow "Dahlia" to do the same to her that "Elijah Bailey" did to his father.

            "You seem nervous about something, Dad," Dahlia said.

            He blinked.  He wasn't used to being called "Dad".  "Don't worry, it's nothing you need to worry about Dahlia."

            "Are you sure?" her voice was very low, and the monotone had an ominous edge to it.

            He turned around and locked eyes with her, searching for the signs of hostility in her black eyes.  But they were empty.

            "Yes," he answered.  "But it's very kind of you to be concerned about it."

            Dahlia didn't say anything more for the rest of the drive.

            They stopped back at the condo they were renting to drop off Dahlia's things, then Lady Une suggested they go out for a celebratory dinner.  They agreed nonchalantly, and walked to a nearby Japanese restaurant.  The meal went off without incident or enthusiasm, and no one said much.  When they returned, Dahlia said a quick good night, brushed her teeth, and retreated to the room they'd prepared for her.

            When they were mostly sure she was asleep, they went out on the balcony.  Lady Une sighed, put her arms around Trowa, and hooked her chin over his shoulder.

            "Well, what do you think?" she whispered in his ear, just in case their "daughter" was not quite as asleep as she appeared.

            He reached up behind him and ran his hand down the side of her face.  "She doesn't like me much."

            She smiled.  "No, but in a strange way, she reminds me of you.  There's a very strong, dangerous person hidden beneath that silent exterior."

            "So you're saying you want another one?"

            Lady Une let out a soft laugh and kissed his cheek.  "Not for a million dollars."  She let go and leaned against the railing of the balcony.  "You'd think I'd have learned by now.  First Mariemaia…"

            "It wasn't your fault Mariemaia ran away," Trowa said softly.

            "I know.  She was so much like her father.  So proud, with so much spirit.  There was no way I could've held her back much longer than I did," she answered.  "Still…you get attached to them."

            "You miss her," he concluded.

            "Very much," Lady Une replied, accepting his embrace and his kisses on her forehead and lips.

            A while later, he slid open the door back inside.  "We should get some rest while we can."

            "Should we take it in shifts so one of us can always keep an eye on her?"  Lady Une smirked.

            His steady look answered her.

            She smiled and closed the door.  _The risks we take…_


	9. Segment 9

I own absolutely, positively nothing. But you knew that. The song "Barcelona" was written by Jewel.

Segment 9:

Longing for Freedom

_Summary:_

_ Duo has spent the past two weeks on L3 looking for Red Delta. However, his search is proving fruitless, as he reports to Sally. But when he goes to a club called "La Lune", he meets a strange young woman named Marie Duma. She invites him up to her hotel room and makes advances towards him, but before he can respond he is knocked unconscious. On L2, Trowa and Lady Une visit the Procyon Home for Children, an "orphanage" run by the Leute in order to adopt out the aliens into the homes of humans. The couple takes in a Leute who calls herself Dahlia, and while she is not outwardly hostile, it is quite obvious she harbors no tenderness for her new family, and both Lady Une and Trowa know she cannot be trusted._

**"Looks like you made it," **a sarcastic voice remarked as Quatre stepped out of the helicopter as it landed in the wayside parking lot. The two had agreed to meet in this out of the way location in order to avoid unwanted publicity, and also because it was only a twenty-minute drive to Saint Teresa's from there. Once they'd (hopefully) gained custody of Rei Hino, they would drive to Washington D.C., stay a night, then catch the first shuttle back to L4 that they could.

He raised an eyebrow. "Good to see you too, Auntie."

She made no remark at the loathed title, but rolled her eyes and waved him over to her red convertible. Shoving his suitcase in the trunk, she climbed in the driver's seat. "You sure you want to do this?"

Quatre stared at her quizzically. "Yeah…why wouldn't I?"

"You could be wrong," Haruka pointed out as he climbed in. She started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "On the phone you said you got help from Dorothy Catalonia."

"Point being?"

"I don't trust her," she replied simply. "For all you know, she could be arranging for you to walk into a cell with Hannibal Lector."

He laughed at the remark, then stopped when he realized Haruka wasn't. "Look…there's hospital staff there, right? And you."

She barked out a cynical laugh. "Now why the hell would you think I'd be able to protect you from a psychopath?"

"Because…" Quatre turned to look at her profile against the woods flying by. "I've known you all my life, and ever since I was little I've always believed you could do anything. And you've never proved me wrong."

She was silent, letting his words sink in. Though she would never admit it to herself or anyone else, that had been the most touching thing she had ever heard in her long life. And for the first time in twenty-five years, she was starting to feel guilty about all the lies she'd told him.

"Well, I can't do _everything_," Haruka muttered. "But if you need me to save your life, I can handle it."

"Thanks Haruka," Quatre replied, leaning on the top of the door as he watched the scenery go by. Letting the wind whip through his hair, he closed his eyes and listened as Haruka turned on the radio.

_Barcelona, where the winds all blew_

_Where the churches don't have windows_

_But the graveyards do_

_Me and my shadow are wrestling again_

_Look out stranger_

_There's a dark cloud moving in_

_But if you could hear_

_The voice in my heart_

_It would tell you_

_I'm afraid I'm alone_

_Won't somebody please_

_Hold me_

_Release me_

_Show me_

_The meaning of mercy_

_Let me loose_

_Fly_

_Let me fly_

_Let me fly_

_Super paranoid_

_I'm blending_

_I'm blurring_

_I'm bleeding_

_Into the scenery_

_Loving someone else is always so much easier_

_But I hold myself hostage in the mirror_

_But if you could hear_

_The voice in my heart_

_It would tell you_

_I'm afraid I'm alone_

_God won't you please_

_Hold me_

_Release me_

_Show me_

_The meaning of mercy_

_Let me loose_

_Let me fly_

_Let me fly_

_Let me fly_

_I won't be held down_

_I won't be held back_

_I will lead with my faith_

_The Red Light_

_Has been following me_

_But don't worry Mother_

_It's no longer my gravity_

_Hold me_

_Release me_

_Show me_

_The meaning of mercy_

_Let me fly_

_Let me fly_

_Let me fly_

"Quatre? Hey, wake up."

He was roughly aware of Haruka shaking his shoulder. Opening his eyes, he blinked in the bright sunlight of the afternoon. "Are we there already?"

"Yeah. Come on," she answered shortly, stepping out of the car. Quatre followed.

The two walked up a long paved path to a large red brick building. There were three other smaller buildings lined up behind the main one, and the entire grounds were surrounded by a fifteen-foot high brick wall with watchtowers every fifty feet or so. The only entrance and exit was through a guarded gate on the driveway that led to the main highway. Although the complex was lovely overall, it sent a cold chill up Quatre's spine. Within the brick wall dwelled nearly three hundred people who, most likely, had not seen anything past it for years. And that included Hino Rei, or Raye Hino.

In the lobby of the main building, they stopped at the desk of a receptionist.

"Hi, I'm here to visit Raye Hino," Quatre replied, his voice level and friendly.

The older woman peered up at him quizzically from behind horn-rimmed glasses. "Excuse me, did you say Raye Hino?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Sir, if I'm not mistaken," she flipped through some papers on the desk. "Miss Hino is in the Isolative Care Building. She's not allowed visitors."

He frowned. "There must be a mistake. Dorothy Catalonia called and said I'd be coming. Quatre Winner…?"

The receptionist gasped. "Oh! Oh my lord…Oh Mr. Winner, I'm very _very_ sorry!" She pulled out a small folded post it note from under a coffee can filled with pencils and pens. "When I saw this…I thought…I thought it was a joke, sir. You know how it is…oh lord I'm _terribly_ sorry!"

He smiled reassuringly at her and glanced at Haruka. Her hand was on her forehead and it looked like she was trying her very best not to smack the hysterical woman. Lowering her hand, she gave her a death glare from her steely blue eyes that would've put even Heero to shame, and nearly caused the poor receptionist to faint.

"Of course," she replied, gaining her composure. "We can make an exception for _you_, Mr. Winner. Though there will have to be hospital personnel sent along with you. Is that all right?"

Quatre thought, then nodded. Once Raye was out of this place, then he could talk to her about the Senshi. "Yes, that's quite all right."

She smiled thankfully, then picked up her phone and pressed a button. "Hello, Jamie? Mr. Winner's here to visit Miss Hino. Could you and Brad restrain her for him?"

He blinked. _Restrain?_ he wondered.

"Yes, thank you Jamie. We'll be there in a few minutes," the receptionist replied, hanging up. "Mr. Winner, I'll lead you and your guest to the Isolative Care Building. Follow me this way, please."

She led them down a hallway and out a door into a nicely manicured garden courtyard. The sun had vanished behind a cloud, and the mood over Saint Teresa's grew dour. They walked down a gravel path to the northernmost of the buildings, and entered. Climbing up two flights of stairs, they stopped at a room on the end of the hall. A well-muscled man with blond hair and green eyes was waiting outside.

"Ah, here we are. Mr. Winner, this is Bradley Morgan, one of Miss Hino's caretakers," she introduced.

Brad shook Quatre's hand. "Pleasure to meet you sir. Jamie's inside with the patient if you're ready."

"Yes, thank you," he answered, nodding to the receptionist who looked relieved to be free of Haruka's accusing stare. Or maybe she was just afraid to stay in the foreboding structure anymore, because in two seconds flat she was outside walking quickly back to the main building.

Brad opened the door and let them into the room. "Mr. Winner, this is James King, another associa—"

He was cut off by a wild, savage scream, followed by a crash and the sound of a man grunting. Brad paled.

"One moment, please," he said, disappearing into a smaller room attached to the main one. Quatre looked around. There was a low, uncomfortable looking couch, a door leading (presumably) to a bathroom, a bookcase with a few old volumes, a cracked mirror, and a few high lights on the wall. The window overlooking the grounds was dirty and had spider web cracks.

"Not exactly five star accommodations," he commented to Haruka. However, a change had come over her since she'd entered the room. She was silent and no emotion showed on her face. She refused to look in the direction the scream had come from.

Some loud panting came from the room, and finally a few snaps of buckles. Brad returned, accompanied by another muscular man with olive skin and dark hair. But it was the woman they brought with that made Quatre's heart stop.

She was in a straightjacket and was belted to a dolly. Her black hair was tangled and tied loosely away from her face with a ragged piece of cloth, and her skin was very pale and dirty. Her violet eyes held a haunted, tormented look as they darted around the room, her chest heaving violently in a struggle to regain control of her body.

"Mr. Winner, this is Miss Hino. Miss Hino, this is—" Jamie blinked as he stared at the woman.

Her body was frozen, as if in shock, and her eyes were fixed not on Quatre, but on Haruka. They widened, and she opened her mouth to let a single whisper escape.

"You."

Quatre turned to stare quizzically at his aunt, who looked as though she was seeing a ghost. Meanwhile, the carted girl began to writhe again, her voice growing louder with every chant.

"You…you…you you YOU YOU YOU!"

She screamed again and struggled to free herself. There was no doubt about it now. The reason the "psychic girl" had been admitted to Saint Teresa's had nothing to do with power, but it was because she was absolutely crazy.

"Excuse us, Mr. Winner!" Brad apologized, then he and Jamie wheeled her back into the smaller room.

Quatre looked at Haruka, expecting an answer, but she said nothing. Sighing, he followed the two men into the girl. They released her from the cart but immediately secured her to the small bed. This room was darker, and served as her bedroom, with a cardboard box of clothes and a light bulb in a socket in the ceiling. There was also a large mirror in the wall above the bed and a plastic chair in the corner.

Once she was safely restrained the two men stepped back. "We don't really know what's the matter with her. This was actually one of her better days, that was why we were allowing you to visit. Before you showed up, she was just sitting in here staring out the window. She only gets destructive when we come into her room. But this is worse than I've ever seen her before. Maybe she just doesn't like your friend."

"Maybe," Quatre agreed softly, looking at the girl. She was a pitiful creature, and his heart went out to her. Especially when he locked eyes with her, and saw the depths of pain and fear she was enduring.

"I wonder…could I maybe just try to talk to her? By myself?" he asked.

Brad and Jamie looked at him like he was crazy. "Sir, I don't think that's a good idea. If she gets loose…"

"You'll be right outside. I'll yell if I need you. Just let me try. Please," Quatre requested.

They shrugged and stepped out.

Quatre pulled the chair over to the bed and looked at the girl. She was still writhing, but not as violently. However, her breathing was still heavy and her eyes still rolling wildly. It reminded him of a horse he'd seen once that had gone wild. He remembered how he'd gently touched the horse and talked softly to it, trying to calm it down. He did the same now.

Gently, he laid a hand on her forehead. She flinched, then lay still.

"Shhh…" he hissed, brushing her bangs, damp with sweat, from her eyes. "It's okay. I'm here to help. Just relax…"

"…Who are you?" the girl asked, looking at him.

He smiled. "My name's Quatre. You're Raye Hino, right?"

"Hino Rei, yes," she answered. "Just Rei."

Quatre blinked. Hino Rei. Was she the one he'd been looking for? Had the tabloid been right?

"Rei. That's a pretty name," he remarked. "You're from Japan?"

"Yes," Rei answered. Her breathing was normal now. "Where do you come from?"

"Space," Quatre answered.

"Why is she with you?" she pressed on. "She does not come from space."

"Who?" he asked.

"Haruka!" Rei yelled, starting to shake again. "Why? TELL ME!"

"Shh…shh…Rei," he said softly, laying his hand on her forehead again. But inside, he was shocked. How had she known his aunt's name? He hadn't told any of the personnel who she was. He hadn't said she'd be coming. In fact, not many people knew about Haruka. So how could this girl, who'd spent the past who knows how long in this disgusting place, know her name?

"Haruka? Haruka is my aunt," Quatre answered. "She's not going to hurt you either."

"Liar," Rei hissed.

He blinked again, then decided to move on. "Listen to me Rei. She does not want to hurt you, and neither do I. Do you know why we came?"

She did not answer, but the accusation was still visible in her face.

"We came here because we want to take you away from this place," Quatre explained. "We need your help."

"My…help?" Now bewilderment struck her face. She tried to sit up, but the belts held fast. Quatre gave her a meaningful look then released her from the bed and the straightjacket. The look of confusion on Rei's face grew as she slowly swung herself around and sat up straight on the edge of the bed. "…Thank you. But…what help can I give?"

"Do you know about Crystal Tokyo? And the Leute?" he asked.

She paled and shook her head as if she were trying to forget something. "No…NO! Leave me alone!" she screamed, shaking violently and starting to sob.

Quatre immediately put his arms around her, holding her still and whispering softly to her. "It's all right Rei. Calm down, everything's all right."

Jamie poked his head in the door. "Mr. Winner?" He looked shocked to see the girl in his arms.

"It's all right. Give us some more time," Quatre answered. Jamie nodded slowly and stepped out.

Rei looked up at him. "They…listen to you?"

He laughed sheepishly. "Yeah…it happens when you're in politics. But I can explain that later, if you like."

She stared at him, then reached up and touched his face softly. It was as if she were unsure that his presence was real, and not just another beautiful, tantalizing dream of freedom. "Will you really get me out of here?"

"Of course," he smiled at her. "But before I can do that, you have to trust me Rei. You have to trust Haruka too, that we'll take care of you."

Her gaze hardened. "No. I will _never_ trust her again!"

Quatre inclined his head slightly. "Rei…do you know Haruka?"

She laughed bitterly. "Yes. And I do not trust her, nor do I enjoy her presence."

"Why?"

Rei narrowed her eyes. "Ask her. Perhaps she will tell _you_ the truth."

He sighed. "I think I'll have to. But now, we need to figure out a plan to get you out of here. Maybe if we say you're a relation of mine?"

She shook her head. "They will not let me go. But…" Rei's eyes suddenly became glassy and empty, and were no longer focused on him. "They are coming for you. They have been following you, and now they have found you."

Gently, he tipped her head up to look at her. Her voice was flat and emotionless. "What?" But before she could answer, there was a sound of breaking glass and splintering wood.

"They are here."

Her words were punctuated by a strangled scream from Brad. Releasing her, Quatre ran to the main room and was immediately shoved to the floor by Haruka.

"Stay down, and get back to Rei," she hissed, standing up.

"What are you…oh my god…" he swallowed hard. Standing over the dead bodies of Brad and Jamie were five Leute, all armed with double bladed light sabers.

"Ripping off Star Wars? You guys are pathetic," Haruka challenged, gently kicking Quatre in the ribs as a sign for him to move. Starting, he quickly crawled back into Rei's bedroom.

"What's the matter?" she asked, crouching down and helping him up.

"Leute," he answered quickly, praying she wouldn't scream.

She didn't but her face drained of all color. "_Here?_"

He nodded. "Haruka's holding them off. We've got to go."

Rei shook her head. "We can't. There's only one door, and that's out there."

"Then Haruka will have to get them away from the door, won't she?" Quatre replied, grabbing her wrist and putting a hand over her mouth and they pressed themselves back against the wall. He peered around the edge of the doorway.

He had never personally encountered the Leute, but had seen Roderick Bailey's execution and had also seen a picture of Trowa and Lady Une's "daughter." Sure enough, the five figures in the room were similar. They appeared to be children around the ages of eleven or twelve, with very short hair of varying colors, and black empty eyes. And when they spoke to answer Haruka's challenge, it was in a flat monotone.

"You should've known we'd find you," they replied. "Between you and the boy and the girl, it was a target too simple to let pass."

"Pass this, bastards," she snarled, shoving the mirror towards them. One tried to slice through it with the lightsaber, but the beam reflected off of the surface and caused the blade to pierce the chest of another Leute.

"Cheap trick, Tenoh," Quatre heard a voice. He turned to see it had not been a Leute, but in fact Rei.

Haruka narrowed her eyes. "Stay out of the way."

"Show him, Haruka!" Rei demanded. "Show him who you really are. Or are you going to abandon him too? Abandon him like you abandoned m-"

"Fine!" she yelled. "Fine." From somewhere, she drew a small, ornate rod.

"Uranus Planet Power, MAKE UP!"

There was a blinding flash of light and color, and the floor shook violently, causing Quatre to grip the doorframe in order to keep from falling. When it finally ended, Haruka was wearing a strange outfit consisting of a short navy skirt and a navy-collared with leotard. They were the most feminine clothes he had ever seen her wear. They were also identical to the garments that the Senshi wore, only in different colors.

"Happy Rei?" Haruka snapped.

"Satisfied," she answered, a hint of triumph in her voice.

The four remaining Leute were momentarily overcome by awe, but they recovered quickly. "We were hoping you would show yourself, Uranus."

"Glad everyone's happy to see me," she rolled her eyes, then looked at Quatre. "Listen to me! When I tell you to go, take Rei and run for the car, got it?"

"What are you—"

But he was cut off as Haruka raised her hand and clenched her fist. Yellow light filtered out from the cracks between her fingers, and she suddenly brought her hand downwards as if she were throwing something. The light formed into a giant yellow orb that caused the building to shake violently and ripped up the floor.

"GO QUATRE!"

Without thinking, he grabbed Rei by the wrist and bolted for the door. Behind them, the hallway was ripping in two, and he realized the building was falling apart. Adrenaline running full blast and overriding his better judgment, he saw the window at the end of the hall near the stairs.

"Come on!" Quatre yelled over the noise of the destruction and pulled Rei up next to him. Pulling their heads down, he crashed through the window and felt himself falling through the open air. Luckily, they had only been about twelve feet off the ground, so when they landed and rolled down the grassy slope towards the wall, nothing was broken.

Rei got to her feet before he did, and pulled him up quickly. "Where's your car?" she asked hurriedly as they dashed towards the parking lot.

"There," he answered, pointing toward the convertible. He helped her over the door into the backseat then leaped into the driver's side. Suddenly, he cursed and slapped his forehead.

"What?" Rei cried, watching in horror as the other buildings began to fall from the aftershocks of the supernatural earthquake Haruka had caused.

"She has the keys!" he answered, then started to climb out. "I've got to go back and help her…"

"No!" Rei hissed, grabbing his shoulder. "Look!"

Two figures were running down the hill. One was Haruka, armed with a glowing white saber that made slashes in the air that flew towards the victim. The other was a Leute with blue-gray hair. They remained locked in combat for what seemed like hours, when finally Haruka let out a battle cry and swiftly removed the Leute's head. The sword vanished and she sprinted to the car, leapt over the drivers' seat, and shoved the key in the ignition.

"You took long enough," Rei muttered.

"Shut up," Haruka snapped. She tossed another small orb of light at the gate, and it instantly blew to pieces. Slamming her booted foot on the gas pedal, the tires squealed as she tore south down the highway.

"Where are you going?" Quatre asked as he fastened his seatbelt. "Washington's that way!"

"Can't go to Washington. They've probably got people there," she answered shortly.

"So where are we going?" Rei inquired, wind blowing her dark hair across her face.

"Denver," Haruka replied. There was another flash of light as the outfit shifted back to her t-shirt and jeans.

"Denver? Haruka that's halfway across the country!" Quatre cried.

"I know, but that and Anchorage are the only other spaceports in the U.S. still running shuttles to the colonies. Everything else has been shut down since Bailey's assassination. So unless you want to drive to Alaska, I'd suggest you sit back, shut up, and pray we don't run out of gas before there's 500 miles between us and them," she snapped.

Intimidated by the woman's anger and demonstration of power, both Rei and Quatre remained silent, glancing in the rearview mirror at the four masses of brick and bodies that had been Saint Teresa's.


	10. Segment 10

I own…well, I think you all get the picture by now.

Segment 10:

Living on a Prayer

_Summary:_

_            Quatre meets Haruka in Virginia, and they travel to Saint Teresa's.  When they arrive, they meet the mysterious girl named Hino Rei.  She is hostile at first to her caretakers, and when she notices Haruka she seems to recognize her and attempts to attack her.  Quatre calms her and asks her if she knows his aunt.  She answers yes, and declares she cannot be trusted.  Before he can ask more, Rei suddenly warns him that "they" are coming.  Sure enough, a group of Leute attack the hospital and kill the two caregivers.  Amazingly, Rei seems to regain some sanity and challenges Haruka, who transforms into an unknown Senshi and attacks the Leute, allowing the other two to escape.  In the process, Saint Teresa's is destroyed, and the three begin the race cross-country to Denver, and their only hope to get back to the colonies._

**In Istanbul, **it was almost ten o'clock when Setsuna Meioh walked through the apartment door.  She removed her jacket and the wide brimmed hat she wore, then set her keys on the kitchen table.  The faint sound of music drifted in from the living room.  Making her way inside, she smiled at the sight of the several candles on the coffee table and the man sitting on the couch staring at her.  He was an older man, but attractive in a darkly exotic way.  Obviously of Arabian descent, his hair, skin, and eyes were dark, his beard cut short, and his body tall and strong.

            "You're home," he smiled, rising to embrace her and kiss her cheek.

            "Rashid," she murmured, returning the hug.  "I've missed you."

            She had married the former leader of the Maganac Corps. five years ago.  He had officially retired just prior to their union, but it was clear he was still a part of the group, as well as Quatre Winner's life (though he did not know Setsuna was Rashid's wife).  Many had questioned the marriage.  To unknowing eyes, Rashid was about thirteen years older, but the couple knew better.  Rashid had been one of the few people Setsuna had trusted with her true identity and mission, and he had been honored to learn whom it was that he had married.  Their relationship was not as passionate as others', but there was a deep, respectful love between the two of them.

            "Master Quatre?" he asked, releasing her.

            Setsuna looked reassuringly at him.  "He's just fine.  He has Rei, and Haruka has finally shown herself."

            Rashid nodded.  He was also aware of the status of the other lost citizens of Crystal Tokyo.  Which was why he still regretted treating the brazen Haruka with such distrust prior to meeting Setsuna.  "I am glad for that.  Hopefully this won't change things between the two of them."

            "Change is inevitable," Setsuna answered matter-of-factly.  "And I don't doubt that Haruka is going to have a difficult time explaining everything to Quatre.  But he's a forgiving, understanding person.  He will love her no less for it."

            "And Hino?" he asked.

            She patted his shoulder.  "It is as I said, my dear Rashid.  Things are going as they should.  She is with him, and no doubt will have to remain with him for some time."

            _A very long time, _she mused.

            "Hm," Rashid murmured, then put a hand on her shoulder.  "You should get some rest."

            "I will.  I'm afraid I can only stay tonight though.  I'm due on L1 tomorrow night.  My flight leaves around 3:00 PM tomorrow," Setsuna replied.  "But I'd like to see him first."

            "Of course," her husband smiled.  "He's in bed.  Which is where I am headed also."  He kissed her cheek again, then headed in the direction of their bedroom.  Pausing, he turned to look at her again.  "Setsuna?"

            "Yes?"

            "Are we getting close to the end of this?" he asked.

            She smiled sadly.  "No, Rashid.  We are very far from the end.  But…" Setsuna looked out the window.  "Before it _is_ over, I'm afraid I'll have to leave you."

            He said nothing, but continued to study her beautiful form in the flickering candlelight.  Shaking his head, he disappeared into the darkness of the bedroom.

            Sighing, Setsuna walked in the opposite direction and carefully opened the door to another bedroom.  Crossing the floor, she knelt down next to a bed.  She smiled.

            A narrow shaft of moonlight illuminated the face of the sleeping boy.  Dark skin and hair, like his father's.  But she knew that hidden beneath his smooth eyelids were the same ruby-red eyes she gazed on him with.  The boy could not be more than four.  A pale hand traced over the soft cheek, and he stirred, but did not awaken.  Leaning over, she kissed his forehead, treasuring his presence.  Her son, named for the angel he resembled.

            Jabreel and Rashid.  Her heart and soul and humanity.

            She sighed again, then stood up.

            _Before it is over, I will leave you._

            **Wufei slowly turned the pages of a book, **then paused when he saw Sally coming down the stairs with a heavy-looking duffel bag slung over her back.  The two had taken Ami Mizuno to Sally's small house in Melbourne, Australia, a few days ago, partly to get her away from all of the stress of interrogation, partly so that they could catch their own breath.  In the morning they would have to return to the US.  Quatre, and the (apparently) two Senshi attempting to race across the country were having trouble remaining inconspicuous.  Especially since nearly one hundred and twenty people were killed in the destruction of Saint Teresa's.

            "Where are you going?" he asked, somewhat surprised at the turn of events.

            "Volgograd," Sally answered shortly, then went to her desk and began saving files onto a disk.

            "Volgograd?" Wufei pressed on.  "I haven't heard anything about that.  I thought we were going to Colorado."

            "_You're_ going to Colorado.  I'm going to Volgograd," she repeated.  "I've just received a phone call from a man who claims to be the brother of Anya Karikov.  He's got information."

            "And you're going alone," he raised an eyebrow cynically.

            She sighed and looked up at him.  "Look, somebody's got to stay with Amy.  You're the only one I can trust not to put her through the Spanish Inquisition.  Not to mention someone has to pick up Quatre."

            Wufei stood up and crossed his arms.  "I'm sure she'd rather you stay.  I'll go to Volgograd and—"

            "_No_," Sally snapped.  "Damn it Wufei, what don't you understand?  I'm going to Russia, you're going to the US with Amy."

            He stared at her.  "What's the matter with you?  Have you lost all reason woman?"

            Sally blinked in surprise.  Since they'd become partners, Wufei had always addressed her by her name.  The diminutive "woman" was reserved for those females in the world that _really_ pissed him off.

            "Look…I…" she put a hand to her forehead.  "Wufei, even if we are partners, you still get it that I have superiority?"

            He narrowed his eyes.  "I've never forgotten.  And to be honest, I was proud of it in the past.  But now you tell me you plan to go to Volgograd _alone_, and meet some man who _claims_ to be the brother of Anya Karikov and who _claims _to have information?  I know you're not an overconfident person.  And I know you're not suicidal.  So tell me what the hell you're trying to do."

            She stared at her computer screen.  "Trying to protect you."

            At her answer, Wufei was both touched and infuriated.  He was too proud to admit the degree of sincerity in the bonds of trust, honor, and respect between Sally and himself.  And this was proof of it.  Yet, how dare she think he needed to be protected?  In any instance, _she_ was the one who needed _his_ protection.  In Kiel he was the one who fought off the majority of the Leute, wasn't he?  But then again, without Sally's intervention, he wouldn't have stopped there.  He probably would've killed Ami.  Maybe, just maybe, he _did_ need her to protect him.  From himself.  But nothing else.

            "I don't need that, Sally," he muttered, turning his back to her.

            "That's what Kino thought too!" she struggled to keep her voice down so as not to wake Ami, sleeping upstairs.  "I sent her off alone, and she got killed."

            "But she was a Senshi, a target…" Wufei reasoned, glancing back at her.

            "And why should that matter?  We're _all_ targets Wufei.  All of us that have had contact with the Senshi.  I know the danger of doing this by myself.  But better me than you.  You're too good of a Preventor to risk," she answered, her voice calming again.

            He turned around to face her.  Her face was twisted in anguish, and her thumb and forefinger her pressed against her temples.

            "So you're going to sacrifice yourself?" he asked softly.

            She nodded.  "If that's what's necessary, I will.  And I want to know that you'll still be alive to save the world if that's what's necessary too."

            Silently, Wufei did something he had never done before in his life.  He reached out to Sally and embraced her tightly.  Not even when he was married had he risked shattering his façade of egotism and coldness with such an act of affection.

            "You'd better stay alive Po.  If you don't, you will feel my vengeance," he threatened.

            She smiled and patted his back.  "Look after Amy, okay?  I have a feeling she'll have a vengeance to exact too when she finds out I'm not here in the morning."

            Wufei risked a small smile back.  "Flight still leaves at the same time?"

            Sally nodded then handed him a scrap of paper.  "My cell number.  If something goes wrong, call me.  I'll be there ASAP."

            "Right," he nodded, then wrote something down on a notepad and tore it off.  Shoving it in her hand, his smile widened slightly.  "Same to you."

            The Preventor grinned and saluted to him, then shoved the disk into her jacket pocket, picked up her duffel, and walked out the door.

            **Relena sat on the balcony of her L4 residence,** sipping tea and watching the lighting system slowly illuminate the colony's interior.  The balcony overlooked a peaceful rose garden, and the only sound she could hear was that of the fountain below her.  It was rare indeed that she would get a moment of serenity like this.  Ever since Roderick Bailey's assassination weeks ago, she was being moved from colony to satellite to Earth and back again.  Several times.  Although she had no children, everyone feared that there was a Leute planning to cut open her chest over the television or Internet.

            She had to admit, she was a ashamed to find out Heero had been right about the Leute.  But she refused to believe that their salvation lied with a group of millennia old women with superpowers.  And she refused to develop weapons.  If what she'd heard was true, the Leute had lived on Earth and the colonies for centuries.  Why shouldn't they want peace?  Why couldn't diplomacy make any breakthroughs?

            Because, Elijah Bailey, or Eljira ak Zhul, made it clear that they wanted revenge.  For what?  It wasn't the humans' fault that they'd mistaken the Leute for children and treated them as such.  If anything, it was the Leute's fault for not making it clearer soon.  But Relena knew that if they had, the fact that the Leute were not from Earth would frighten the humans and drive them to destruction.

            Relena sighed.  War.  Always things seemed to end in war.  Already, people were calling the tensions between the Leute and the humans the "Dawn War", though the last thing anyone wanted was another age of battles and suffering.  And yet, she could see no way around it.  It would have to be war, or massacre.  The first she hated, the second she feared more than anything.  Though she knew developing weapons would at least give humans a chance of survival, there was no way anyone could be sure that they could stand up to the Leute's military machinery.  But always hopeful, she was sure that somehow she could achieve peace by just talking with the Leute.

            "I don't think they're bad people, these Leute," she mused.  "Just…confused."

            Suddenly, she was aware of several successive thuds as half a dozen Leute landed from the sky onto the balcony railing.  She blinked and stood up quickly.

            They were indeed youthful, none more than twelve.  The colors of their hair and eyes ranged from shock white to dark purple, and their eyes were all black.  Two were armed with what looked like tommy guns, two with long swords, and two with a pair of glowing garrotes each.  Uniformed in dark green jumpsuits, black gloves, and black boots, they were oddly intimidating for children.

            "We're afraid you're mistaken, Vice President Relena Dorlian Peacecraft.  It is _you_ who are confused," they answered in unison.

            "Wh-wh-what do you want from me?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.  Slowly, she backed towards the sliding door to her room, but one of the Leute with rifles fired a shot near her right hand.

            "Please do not move," they answered.  "We need you to come with us."

            "Like hell I will," she hissed.  Had anyone been around, they would've been shocked at her use of the curse.

            "It is not a request," they said, closing in on her.  "You will come with us now."

            Suddenly, one of the Leute screamed as a bullet ripped through its neck.  Relena dived to avoid being hit by the bullet.  Kneeling on the floor, she pressed her face to the balcony and heard the glass doors shatter.  A split second later a shower of tiny shards fell over her.

            More gunshots followed, and she was aware of someone jerking her to her feet.  A voice from below was yelling at her.

            "Jump!" it called.

            She tried to look down, but the person holding her duck forward as the sound of a blade sliced through the air above.  There was another gunshot and she raised her head to meet a pair of ocean blue eyes.  Relena blinked in surprise.

            "_Milliardo?_" she gasped.  Her brother's long white hair brushed against her face as he thrust her against the balcony railing and dove sideways to avoid another sword sweep.  Two Leute lay dead and another dying, but the remaining three, the two with swords and one with a garrote, were still fighting strong.  A tall woman with short violet hair and angry gray eyes was balanced on the railing shooting at the Leute, but they're agility was beyond that of a human's and they avoided all shots.

            "Noin?  What's going on?" Relena cried.  Noin swiftly kicked one of the Leute in the head as it approached, then dashed to the younger woman with the agility of a gymnast on a beam.

            "We're saving you Miss Relena.  Come on," she grabbed her wrist, then suddenly the two were falling the three stories from the balcony.  Relena felt Noin's hand leave her wrist but before she could panic she had landed in a pair of strong arms.

            "Heero?" she blinked.  Sure enough, the perfect soldier had once again been there to save her.  A few feet away, Noin had landed in a perfectly executed crouch and slowly rose to her feet.  Heero set Relena down then nodded at the purple-haired woman.  Noin glanced at the two of them then back up at the balcony.

            She cupped her hands to her mouth.  "ZECHS!  GET OUT OF THERE!" she called.

            There was a flash of white hair as Relena's brother flew over the railing of the balcony and landed next to Noin.

            "Come on," he said.

            The four dashed through the gardens to a small man made lake.  Noin turned her head and looked back.  The Leute were gone.

            "Coast is clear.  Let's rest a minute," she said.  Both she and the two men had hardly broken a sweat, but it had been difficult for Relena to run the good two miles to the lake barefoot.  The vice president looked at her gratefully and sat down on the lakes edge, soaking her feet in the water that turned red around them.  It had been poor planning indeed not to grab a pair of shoes or at least slippers before the run.

            "Thank you," she answered finally, looking up at her saviors.  "All three of you.  But…how did you they were going to attack me?"

            "We didn't," Zechs answered simply.  "A couple of weeks ago, the three of us met in Osaka to discuss Bailey's murder.  It wasn't difficult to figure out that you would probably be a target as well, and we decided that at least one of us should start keeping an eye on you at all times.  All three of us just happened to be here on L4 at the same time."

            "And of course it's when you're most protected, they decide to attack," Noin rolled her eyes.

            Relena laughed slightly.  "Well, at least you were there."

            "Yes," Noin smiled.  "And by the way Relena, thank you for the beautiful anniversary present."  She glanced lovingly at Zechs.  The two had celebrated their ten-year wedding anniversary in January.  Funny how Relena, her sister-in-law, was the only one who still called her "Noin", her maiden name.  Everyone else simply called her Lucrezia, or Madame Marquise.  But the name had stuck, just like Noin still called Relena "Miss Relena."

            "You're welcome.  And your children are well?  It's been ages since I've seen them.  How old are they?" she asked.

            "Apollo is almost eight now.  Daian is five, and Io is two.  They're staying with my mother on Earth," Noin's eyes sparkled.  "Io looks just like you, Miss Relena."

            Zechs and Heero looked at each other.  Relena and Noin were two of the most powerful women they'd ever met.  But since the war had ended, both had settled back into their genders and with the birth of the three Marquise children, the maternal sides of them did have tendency to rear their ugly heads.

            "But anyways," Noin brushed a hair from her face.  "Now that all of this has happened, we're hoping you'll reconsider developing military weapons."

            Relena bit her lip and frowned.  "You know I can't do that."

            "I told you before, Relena," Heero said, locking eyes with her.  "If you don't provide some sort of defense for the people, you're going to get a massacre.  Diplomacy is not going to work in this instance."

            "We didn't give them a chance!" she snapped.  "I don't want to sound ungrateful, but back there on the balcony, all that was exhibited was a "shoot first, ask questions later" attitude!  It's no wonder they—"

            "Relena, we're a "shoot first, ask questions later" kind of society," Zechs cut in.  "Why else do you think the Leute want revenge?  They have not been treated kindly in the past."

            "But we can start treating them kindly now!" Relena answered stubbornly.

            Noin shook her head.  "Miss Relena, anything like that would be too little too late."  She stood up.  "If you refuse to sanction weapon development, we'll have to find someone to do it illegally for us."

            The vice president's eyes widened in shock.  Zechs grinned slightly.  "Don't be afraid Relena.  One of us will still always be here to protect you.  But if we're about to become criminals, don't expect us to show ourselves."

            She bit her lip and looked at Heero.  "Is that what you think too?  Heero?"

            He narrowed his eyes and turned away.  "You know what I think Relena."

            She did not bother to call out to them as the three people she loved most walked away and left her on the shores of the lake.

**            As the ocean passed by below her,** Ami typed slowly on her computer.  Actually, it was Sally's computer.  She had awoken that morning to find her friend gone, and she had left only a brief note behind explaining that she was going to Russia and that she should stay with Wufei.  Sally had also granted Ami access to her computer, telling her to take care of it and that it just happened to have extra firewalls in case she should go back into her med school habit of hacking.  She couldn't help but smile at that

            Wufei sat across the plane from her.  It was a small aircraft. Only about fifteen feet long, it was piloted by a Preventor specializing in transportation and could carry up to four passengers.  However, Ami and Wufei were the only ones on board.

            "Remind me again, where are we going?" she asked softly, looking over at him.

            He didn't look up.  "Denver.  From there we'll need to get a car and try to meet up with Quatre."

            "Did he…find Rei?" Ami murmured.

            "Yeah.  But her hospital was destroyed when they escaped," Wufei answered.

            "Destroyed?  How?"

            He glanced up at her, clearly annoyed.  "There was a freak earthquake."

            "_Earthquake?_" Ami gasped.  She clenched her fists and began muttering to herself.  "There's no way…she wouldn't have…damn it Haruka…"

            Wufei stared at her.  He could barely make out the words she spoke.  But one stuck out.  Haruka.  The name of Quatre's aunt.  He thought back quickly.  Had Haruka gone with him to Saint Teresa's?  Yes.  He remembered now.  Of course she would, she went everywhere with her nephew.  But how could Ami know…?

            "What did you say?" he asked, crossing the plane and standing in front of her.

            She blinked and looked away.  "Nothing…just thinking out loud…"

            His hand closed over her shoulder tightly.  "Don't lie to me Amy.  I promised Sally I wouldn't question you too hard, so tell me the truth.  How do you know the name of Quatre's aunt?"

            She looked up at him.  He expected her to start crying again, or to faint like she had in Kiel.  But she did the exact opposite.  She got to her feet and pulled free of his grasp.

            "Keep your hands off me," she ordered with a trembling voice.

            He narrowed his eyes.

            "Why the hell do you think you're so powerful?  What makes you think you have the right to ask me all these things?  Despite what you may think, I _am_ a human being!  Treat me like one!" she snapped.

            "I _am_ treating you like a human being, woman.  If not, I would've left you with the inquisitors," he growled.  "But I do not have to show you respect until you have done something worthy of it."

            She stared back at him angrily, but it was clear she was close to tears again.  But tears of fury, not fear.

            "It's true you've given us the information we've requested.  But we know you only cooperate because you're terrified that we'll kill you at any given second," he went on.  "And why shouldn't we?  You're nearly fifteen hundred years old and supposed to have great powers, but what have you shown?  You hide and expect people to protect you when it's nearly fifteen hundred years old and supposed to have great powers, but what have you shown?  You hide and expect people to protect you when it's _you_ that should be protecting the weak."

            "How dare you?" Ami whispered.  "How dare you say that?  Did it ever occur to you that perhaps power does not last forever?  That the most I can do is to lower a room temperature by about five degrees?"

            She could no longer hold the tears back, and they fell steaming over her face.

            "You have no _clue_ how much I wish I could still protect people!  How much I want to be useful!  I had to watch everything I loved shatter and get buried and forgotten in the sands of time.  I couldn't even risk falling in love.  Do you know why?  Because even if I did find someone, and managed to raise a family, they would all grow old and die in front of me while I remained like this!"  She clenched her fists.  "I'm going to look just like this until the day I die.  And no one will believe me if I try to tell them about the past, if I try to warn them about the future.  In the world's eyes, I'm eternally an up-and-coming young doctor with tons of promise, but no accomplishments, no meaning."  She paused to wipe the tears from her eyes.  "Maybe you _should've_ killed me, Wufei."

            Her tirade finished, she sank back down into the seat and stared straight ahead.  Wufei stared at her in surprise.  In about a minute, she had made him second-guess all of his opinions about her.  And for a split second, he could see the frustration of the brilliant, powerful woman she used to be struggling to break through the frozen over surface.

            "I'm…sorry," he said finally.  "I didn't know."

            Ami swallowed hard.  "No, I should be sorry.  I shouldn't have gone off like that.  Please," she looked up at him, blue eyes wide.  "Please forgive me."

            "…Of course," he answered.  Trying to ease the awkward moment, he touched her shoulder, much gentler this time.

            _Damn it Chang…_he thought to himself.  _Much more of this and people will start to think you're going weak_.

            He looked at Ami again.  Perhaps his definition of "weak" was changing.


	11. Segment 11

Owning Nothing.

Segment 11:

The Gates of Hell

_Summary:_

_Sally receives a phone call from a man claiming to be the brother of Anya Karikov, the last person to see Lita Kino alive. She decides to meet him in Volgograd, Russia. Alone. Wufei argues, but finally agrees to let her go while he takes Ami to the US to pick up Quatre, Rei, and Haruka. On L4, Relena muses about the situation in Earth Sphere, then is suddenly attacked by Leute. At that moment, Zechs, Noin, and Heero show up and help her escape while fighting off the would-be assassins. When she is safe, they ask her to start military weapons development again, but she refuses. They warn that if she does not sanction the necessary project, they will find someone to do it illegally. En route to the US, Wufei confronts Ami when she accidentally speaks Haruka's name. But rather than back down, Ami rises to his challenge and angrily proclaims that she has lost her powers and that it would be better if he killed her. After she calms down, she apologizes to him, and Wufei finds more respect for her than before._

**Duo was aware of a dull**, throbbing pain behind his head. Groaning, he lifted his eyelids, which each felt as though they weighed twenty pounds. Looking around, he saw he was still in Marie's hotel room, but rather than being on the bed, he was sitting on a chair against the wall. There was no sign of the magenta-haired woman, but there _was_ someone sitting on the bed. The girl he had seen on the bus, the one with short black hair and large violet eyes, clothed in a simple black dress, tights, and boots. She was a few years younger than him, perhaps twenty-one or twenty-two, and also kind of cute. He shook his head, remembering the last cute girl, the one who'd knocked him out and apparently, handcuffed him to the chair.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, looking around the room again and then back at the girl.

She did not answer, but continued to stare emotionlessly at him.

"Hey…you hear me?" Duo pressed. He tried to stand up but the chair had apparently been bolted to the floor. Frowning, he looked back at the girl. "What kind of a hotel is this? Bolting furniture to the floor?"

"Please stop that," the girl answered softly. It was then Duo became aware of the gun in her lap. She lifted it and pointed it with a smooth hand. "It would be best if you didn't talk."

"Whoa…okay, okay, shutting up. Jesus Christ, what did I _do_?" he muttered.

"You've done what Setsuna asked you to do," another voice answered brightly. He looked over towards the bathroom and saw Marie, her hair damp and combed neatly, dressed in a black tank top, jeans, and hiking boots. She smiled. "Sorry if we scared you."

"Wait a min—" he clamped up immediately when he saw the dark girl's gun and remembered her orders.

Marie stared at him quizzically, then laughed. "Oh, don't worry about Hotaru," she replied, putting a hand on the armed girl's shoulder. "She wouldn't hurt a fly. Not unless it _really_ pissed her off anyways. It's all right to talk now. We just sometimes have to make sure we're not being watched. But that's been taken care of." There was the faintest evil glimmer in her eyes.

"Okay…so maybe you're up to answering a few questions?" Duo asked.

"Like…?"

"Oh, I don't know. Like, "why the hell did you knock me out?", "who the hell are you?", or maybe "what do you mean I've done what Setsuna asked me to do?". Stuff like that," he answered nonchalantly.

"Well…" Marie sat down on the bed next to Hotaru. "To answer your second and third questions, we're Red Delta. At least, two-thirds of it. Our last member should be arriving shortly. This is Hotaru Tomoe, the best stealth expert you'll ever meet, and of course you and I know each other quite well…"

He laughed cynically. "You don't really expect me to believe your name is Marie Duma."

She blinked. "Of course not. But still…you know me, Deathscythe."

Duo paled. He had kept the secret of his former career from _everyone_, save the other veterans of the war. But this girl…how could she know? The identities of the Gundam Pilots was top-secret government information. Ever since the end of the war, it had been kept under lock and key. Hell, there were probably even minds erased in order to keep it hidden.

"How?" was all he could manage.

Marie smiled. "Don't you remember Duo? Christmas, AC 196. You and a certain Heero Yuy went to L3 to try and subdue a rebellion led by…"

He turned an even paler shade of white. "_Mariemaia Khushrenada?_"

"A pleasure," she beamed. "But my associates call me Maia."

"Wha…but you…how…" he babbled incoherently.

Hotaru looked at him. "Maia is the head of Red Delta. With her military past, she's extremely capable of leading a revolution. But this time, it's against the Leute."

Mariemaia's face fell slightly. "Please understand Duo. Everything I did then, I did under the influence of my grandfather Dekim. That's no excuse of course, but if I had known better, I would've _never_ done those things. And that's why I'm with Red Delta. I'm trying to atone for my past sins. You see?"

He nodded. "I think so. But…" he paused and glared at her. "Why did you knock me out?"

She jerked her head back in surprise, and Hotaru cracked a small smile, then started giggling behind her hand. Mariemaia looked at him sheepishly. "I guess it was kind of unnecessary. But I needed to wait for the others to show before I could tell you about everything. And well…considering the mood we were both in…" she blushed. "I didn't trust you or myself not to ah, "engage" an act which would make us both look bad if we were caught."

"So you knocked me out because you were afraid we'd get caught having sex?" he simplified. Hotaru turned her head and coughed to cover her giggles.

Mariemaia rubbed her temples. "Yes, Duo. That was why."

He thought a moment to some information he'd seen during the Christmas Revolution; stats on Mariemaia Khushrenada. Her year of birth…AC 189. And it was AC 196 then…so that made her…

"But you're only seventeen!" he realized, somewhat horrified at the thought of what he'd almost done. "You're still a minor!"

She sniffed indignantly. "I am not. My birthday's in January. I've been eighteen for six weeks."

Duo was about to say more, but then thought better. He sighed. "Well…nothing happened…so I guess it's all good."

"Yeah…" Mariemaia muttered. She looked at her watch. "Damn it…she's late."

"Should I go look for her?" Hotaru asked.

She shook her head. "No. You stay here with Duo. Oh, and take the cuffs off him too. I'll go get her."

Mariemaia walked over to the door and opened it, then gasped. Feeling the handcuffs fall off his wrists, Duo stood up and looked over at the door, then blinked in surprise. It was the waitress from the club downstairs. Her pink hair was tied in two spindle like buns on either side of her head, then fell down in twin ponytails to her calves. She was dressed in a sheer black shirt over a clingy short black dress, and silver bracelets jingled on both wrists. Her black pumps had straps that wound their way up her legs to her mid thighs. But it was her eyes that were frightening. Demon red and full of fear and anguish.

"Chiba?" Mariemaia asked uncertainly, looking at Hotaru. She nodded, then went to her comrade and put a hand on each shoulder and guided her down onto the bed.

"Rini…what's wrong?" Hotaru asked softly.

The girl, Rini, didn't answer at first. She took a deep, shuddery breath, then threw her arms around Hotaru and buried her face in her shoulder, sobbing.

Duo and Mariemaia stared awkwardly at each other as the girl cried for several minutes. Hotaru looked at them helplessly, and rubbed Rini's back and shoulders comfortingly. She also whispered gentle words in her ears. Finally, the girl regained her composure and sat up.

"I'm…I'm really sorry about that," she smiled weakly. "That was really unprofessional. You won't tell Puu, will you Maia?"

Mariemaia shook her head. "Not unless she brings out the torture devices."

Next to her, Duo's eyes widened. Rini looked at him. "She's just joking, you know. Maia does that."

"So I've learned," he shot a dirty look at her. The spy's face was completely innocent. Far too innocent to be _really_ innocent.

Rini stood up. "I'm Serenity. Serenity Chiba, but you can call me Rini. You're the one Setsuna sent?"

He nodded. "Duo Maxwell, at your service." He paused, remembering her name. "You said your name is Serenity Chiba?"

"Yeah. And yes, I _am_ one of the people you've been looking for," she answered.

"You mean Red Delta? I kinda figured that," Duo replied.

Rini shook her head. "No, I mean one of the ones from the picture. Remember? Setsuna said she told you…"

"You mean, you're the princess? Serenity's daughter?" he cried.

For a moment, it looked as though Rini was going to start crying again, but she nodded and took a deep breath. Hotaru put a hand on her shoulder. Duo looked at Mariemaia.

"Did you know?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "Well yeah. You tend to tell people things like that if you're trusting them with your life. I also know that Hotaru's a Senshi."

"Wha? But…there were only supposed to be four! Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus, right?" Duo blinked.

"Those are the _Inner_ Senshi. Didn't Setsuna tell you that?" Mariemaia said. "Hotaru is Sailor Saturn, one of the _Outer_ Senshi. She's way stronger than any of them. Probably the strongest Senshi who ever lived. Except the queen and the princess, of course."

He tilted his head and took a second look at Hotaru. She certainly didn't _look_ strong. She was dark and pale and kind of fragile looking, like a china doll. He had no trouble believing she'd be great at stealth work, but in combat? He had his doubts.

"It's true," Hotaru answered. "But I'd really rather not go there. Rini and I try to avoid showing our true selves as much as possible."

"Which reminds me," Mariemaia looked at Rini. "Chiba…why did you come in and break down like that? What did you find?"

Rini took another deep breath, then pulled a disk out from a hidden pocket in her dress. Silently, she went to the computer that had appeared on the table at some point (probably when Duo was unconscious) and put it in. A few minutes later, a video window opened.

The Leute Duo recognized as the infamous Aethrin was on the screen. He was in what looked like some sort of high-tech laboratory, and he was standing next to a medical table. There was a woman on it, a short woman with long blond hair in two ponytails similar to Rini's however her buns were round instead of spindle-shaped. She wore a long, flowing white gown stained red with blood. Her eyes were closed, and her chest was barely rising. The woman was undoubtedly close to death.

"This is a message to Red Delta, and whoever else is serving Setsuna Meioh. The woman you see before you _is_ the former Queen of Crystal Tokyo, Serenity Tsukino Chiba. If you disbelieve this, then here is your proof," he raised his cupped hands. A golf-ball sized white crystal floated a few inches above them. It glowed with a silvery light that reminded Duo of the Moon. "We have the Ginzuishou, and by keeping it whole and using it as necessary, we are granting Serenity her ability to live. A warning to you: oppose us and the Ginzuishou will be destroyed, the queen along with it. This is also one last message to those remaining Senshi as well as to Princess Small Lady Serenity Chiba, that if you surrender to us, you will not be harmed. But if you continue to resist, you will be killed mercilessly, and not before we have made you suffer. And also, a warning to any humans watching this: your doom is at hand. Justice will be served."

With that, the screen went blank.

Duo looked at the three women. Hotaru and Rini had both broken into sobs halfway through and were holding each other tightly. Mariemaia's eyes were narrowed to slits, part out of anger, part out of attempting to hold her own tears back. She had succeeded mostly, but there were a few shiny trails running down her cheeks. Not many, but they were there. He didn't blame her. Although he had hardly any clue about who Serenity was (other than that she was a some thousand year old queen with the key to saving the human race), the fact that the Leute now had what they needed to destroy the humans was enough to bring tears to his eyes. Even now, he struggled to hold them back.

They were silent for several minutes, then Mariemaia knelt sat down next to Rini and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Rini…" she said softly. "Hey, everything's gonna be all right…you'll see…"

"How Maia? How? If they don't kill her, then they'll kill the rest of us! How can you say everything's gonna be all right?" Rini sobbed.

To his surprise as well as everyone else's, Duo found himself answering. "Hey kid…you should listen to her. She knows a _lot_ about losing battles. Hell, I do too," he replied. She looked up at him, searching for something in his face. He tried to smile comfortingly. "I know you're probably hundreds and hundreds of years older than me, but I still know a thing or two about fighting wars. And one of the key thing's you've gotta remember is that the bad guys _always_ pull trump cards like this when they're afraid of you. I mean, think about it. Why shouldn't they be? You know they've found Ami and Rei and Haruka, right? And then there's you two…and the humans like Maia and me who're all fighting back against them…that's getting to be a handful. And then if we get weapons…" he shrugged. "It's harder to fight well when you're terrified. So the odds are going in our favor."

Mariemaia stared at him, astounded. She liked Duo right from the start, mostly because he was cute and funny. But she would've put fifty dollars against the fact that he was also caring and reassuring, as opposed to whiny and annoying in a situation like this. And he had _hope_. And hell knew how long it'd been since they'd had some of that. Ever since Red Delta had been formed a year and a half ago, the three members always seemed to find out that things were going from bad to worse. The news of Neo-Queen Serenity's capture was now about as low as physically possible. And yet, here was a carefree ex-Gundam pilot who was gullible and easily distracted (resulting in his being knocked out for eighteen hours) was giving them hope. The irony of it all…well, Setsuna had never let them down before, and she certainly wasn't now. Duo Maxwell had been a good choice for the one to bring back Red Delta.

"Duo's right," Hotaru said softly, standing up. "It isn't going to do any good for us just to sit here crying like little girls. Serenity isn't dead yet, and we aren't going to let her die."

Rini paused, then nodded. "You're right. All of you." Her businesslike manner reappeared as her face became serious and her stance determined. "Duo, Mariemaia will escort you back to your hotel to get your stuff. Hotaru and I will finish up things here. We'll meet at the spaceport in two hours. There's a 10:00 shuttle to MO-V. We'll meet Setsuna there. Agreed?"

"No prob. Let me just grab my stuff, and we'll go, okay Duo?" Mariemaia looked at him and smiled. Not a flirtatious smile, or a knowing smile, or a fake-innocent smile. Just a thankful, kind smile. It made him blush slightly.

"Yeah…okay sure," he answered.

Mariemaia shoved some shampoo and other toiletries in a suitcase, grabbed her jacket, then stood at the door. "We'll see you guys in a few!"

"All right. Don't take too long," Hotaru replied. _And please don't start falling for Duo_ she added silently. She saw the way the two looked at each other. Oh, she could hope it was just chemical attraction between the two, but she knew that was just wishful thinking. She couldn't help but worry about the effects if Mariemaia suddenly found something more important than Red Delta._ **We** still need you Maia. Don't desert us for him. Please._

**"Well…we're home,**" Lady Une said as she, Dahlia, and Trowa walked through the door to her little house in Naples. Although she had told Dahlia they would be spending a few days before coming here, it had actually been closer on two weeks. So much had happened since then. They'd received the horrifying message that the Leute had the woman called Neo-Queen Serenity, Quatre had managed to get Rei Hino out of Saint Teresa's, Sally was in Volgograd with a man named Alexander Venli, and Heero and the Marquises were starting to dabble in illegal activities.

"It's very nice," Dahlia commented flatly. "Where's my room?"

"Upstairs," Trowa answered. "Come on, I'll show you." He shot a backwards glance at Lady Une. He'd been keeping an exceptionally close eye on both her and Dahlia since she'd been adopted. Although he knew she could take care of herself, he knew that she was also more likely not to give in to the Leute's wishes should she get a hold of Trowa, rather than the other way around. He liked to think that he could stand up to Dahlia if she tried to use Lady Une against him, but deep in his heart he knew he couldn't. He loved her too much.

He led his "daughter" to a room at the end of the upstairs hall. Formerly, it had been just a sitting room with some paintings on the walls, a few bookshelves, and two couches. But after they had formulated their plan, Lady Une had set to work turning it into a bedroom for the Leute. Now it had an antique brass bed with a dark red bedspread, a desk with a computer for her "schoolwork" (they could monitor what Dahlia was doing at all times from Lady Une's computer), a crimson armchair in the corner, one of the old bookshelves, a tall armoire with mirrored doors for her clothes, and a music stand for when she played her cello.

"I like it," Dahlia said softly. Her eyes wandered to the window. It was cool here, but the Mediterranean climate was much more welcoming than some of the other places in the world. Already it was starting to feel like spring here, even though it was only February.

"We were hoping you would," Trowa answered.

She turned to look at him curiously. For the trillionth time, emerald met onyx and sparks flew as the two searched for deeper meanings within each other's words. Then a slow smile crept across Dahlia's lips.

"Do I make you uncomfortable Dad?" she asked, her voice hissing yet almost purring, like a cat. She seemed more confident now. Although she had only seen it five seconds ago, she was now in _her_ room, _her_ territory. Trowa felt the change in the atmosphere like someone changing a channel on TV.

"A little," he replied. He too was feeling more confident, in the hopes that Dahlia was becoming _over_-confident. Because if she started to put too much faith in herself, she was bound to slip up somewhere. But that didn't mean he was going to underestimate her. Hell no. The sudden coolness and unfamiliarity of the room reminded him of who and what he was dealing with. It was in Dahlia's nature to be dangerous. And she was not going to be the exception to that rule, he could tell.

"Don't be," Dahlia answered. "After all," she gave him a knowing look. "We're both getting used to this whole "family" situation, aren't we?"

Trowa didn't answer, then turned and started to walk away. He could feel Dahlia's eyes on his back still, and he looked back at her. "If you do anything to hurt her, I will kill you."

The Leute laughed. He had never heard her do that before, and he didn't care much for it. "You're so silly Daddy. But I'm going to unpack now, okay? We can tell jokes some other time."

Their gazes were hard, almost projecting images of the two iron wills clashing. It was difficult to tell who would win this battle. Until Trowa used the worst, most dishonorable, most effective weapon of all.

"You're right, Dahlia. We can," he paused, then put a hand on her shoulder and swallowed anything slightly resembling pride. "I love you."

At once, the Leute's will collapsed as her "father" turned and walked down the hallway, and disappeared down the stairs.

**"Dorothy?"** the woman asked. The heiress turned to look at her guest. It had been nearly three weeks since she had found her wandering around the estate. She'd had a simple cold then, which turned into simple pneumonia, which had robbed her of strength for the past seventeen days. Although she hadn't been sure of the woman's identity at first, a few calls to some old acquaintances had been made, and her suspicions confirmed. Even if she _hadn't_ been deathly ill, it wasn't likely that the opportunistic young lady would've sent her away.

"Yes?" Dorothy answered.

"Would it trouble you too much if I asked for a cup of tea?" she requested.

Dorothy smiled. "Not at all. Would you like anything with it? Sugar…lemon…honey…"

"Sugar please," the woman smiled weakly. "Thank you so much. I don't know how I'll be able to repay you for all of your kindness."

"Trust me, I'll think of something," Dorothy replied. Her voice was calm, but there was no tone of joking to it. She left quickly and made her way to the kitchen. Suddenly, she thought of something and stopped at the phone. Picking it up, she dialed the personal number for a certain cell phone.

"Hello?" the person on the other end asked.

"Relena!" Dorothy greeted. "How are you?"

"Dorothy?" Relena asked, her tone cheerful. "Hello! It's been ages! I'm just fine! Yourself?"

_Liar. _Dorothy thought. She knew full well about the Vice President's refusal to defend the citizens of Earth Sphere. No doubt she was feeling guilty. And there would be even more guilt.

"Lovely. Listen, Relena…" she twirled the phone cord around her finger. "I'm calling because I have some interesting news…"

The conversation only took about five minutes. When it was over, Dorothy hung up and went to the kitchen to fix tea. Setting everything on a silver platter, she walked back to the guest room. To her surprise, the woman was joined by a young girl with short blond pigtails and bright blue eyes.

"Oh my…is she disturbing you?" she asked her. Dorothy sent a hard look to the little girl, who glared back at her.

"Not at all. She's an absolute joy. Is she yours?" the woman asked.

Dorothy set the tray down on the bedside table. "In a matter of speaking." She looked at the little girl. "Run along now Phoebe. Go on."

Phoebe glared at her. It is said that children are innocent, but this child was staring at the heiress with a look of pure hatred. Stomping her foot only once, she turned and ran down the hallway.

"She's got a bit of an attitude," Dorothy explained.

"So I see," the woman laughed. "I remember when my daughter was that age. But they grow out of it, you'll see."

"I sincerely hope so," Dorothy paused. "You said wanted to repay me for all of this, right?"

"I did," the woman answered, sipping her tea.

"Well, if you swear not to say a word about Phoebe to anyone, and I mean _anyone_, I will consider the debt repaid."

Her companion frowned. "Well…if you say so…but I don't really understand."

"That's quite all right," Dorothy replied, taking a drink of tea. "No one needs to understand. Not right now. Not for a long time yet."


	12. Segment 12

Nothing is what I own.

Segment 12:

Time Keeps On Turning…

_Summary:_

_ Upon regaining consciousness, Duo finds himself in the custody of the intelligence group known as Red Delta. He makes the acquaintance of the stealth expert, Tomoe Hotaru, and is also shocked to learn that Marie Duma is none other than Mariemaia Khushrenada. Before any explanations can be given, the last member of Red Delta, Serenity "Rini" Chiba, aka Princess Small Lady Serenity Chiba, arrives in hysterics. When she calms down, she shows a message from the Leute assassin Aethrin. He claims that Neo-Queen Serenity and the Ginzuishou are both in their custody, and that the Senshi should surrender if they want to live. Duo and Red Delta decide to meet Setsuna on MO-V, and plan to depart. On Earth, Trowa, Lady Une, and Dahlia return to Une's house in Italy. After they arrive, Trowa and Dahlia have a minor confrontation in which he warns her to stay away from her "mother."_

**It was 3:26 AM.** Approximately sixteen hours ago, Quatre and Haruka had pulled away from the dusty ruins of Saint Teresa's. Since then, they had stopped twice; once to gas up, once to receive a speeding ticket for going 85 when the speed limit was 60. By some miracle (the miracle that Quatre was the head of the prestigious Winner family), they had gotten off with a warning. Still, Quatre made sure Haruka didn't drive over ten miles over the speed limit after that.

Very little had been said. Haruka had answered Quatre's few questions in sentences shorter than six words. Rei had remained totally silent. Feeling awkward, Quatre too kept quiet. He was unsure of how to handle the two women with him. The animosity between them was almost physical, and he couldn't help but wonder if Rei would suddenly have another fit and try to attack Haruka while she was driving. But the girl had done nothing except stare out the window and eventually doze off.

Quatre himself found it difficult to sleep. How could he? Besides the fear that Haruka was going to either fall asleep at the wheel, or floor it as soon as he did, he was also worried about Leute attacking. Always, it was without warning. Or…no, that wasn't true. They always attacked when there were groups of their "targets", either Senshi or the humans that were aiding them. Although they had succeeded in killing Kino, that was probably done by only one assassin. When they tried the same on Duo, they had failed. And now, if they even wanted to go after a group of three (namely Sally, Wufei, and Mizuno Ami), they would need to outnumber them four to one to have a slight chance of success.

The other reason Quatre could not relax because for the first time he could remember, he was furious at Haruka. For lying to him, for not helping him sooner, for…for not being the person he thought she was. His whole life she had simply been his aunt. A card on his birthday, a visit and interesting present at Christmas, a few letters in between. After the war, she had become a major part of his life, taking the place of his dead father and older sister. He _trusted _her. Trusted her to help him, to guide him, even to protect him in some instances. Quatre was not so proud that he would deny that, without Haruka, he would have gone just as far as he did. But now…how could he be sure she wasn't just manipulating him into doing something to serve herself? Setsuna had said that the true war was between the Leute and the Senshi. To the loser, death. To the winner…the world? Would Haruka go that far? Would she use him to put the world in this Serenity's hands?

"What's the next town?"

Quatre blinked and frowned at her. "What?"

"The next town. We just passed Napton. There should be a bigger town a few miles away. Something with an M…Mitchell…Mandel…"

"Marshall. You stopping?" He asked.

She nodded. "Just for a few hours sleep and something to eat."

"You mean you still have to do that? Doesn't being a Senshi cover human needs?" he asked, sounding far colder than he ever meant to.

A flash of light sparked out of her steel blue eyes. "Don't start that shit Quatre. I'm serious. We can talk about that later. But not now. Not when I've been driving for the past sixteen hours."

He said nothing, and turned away.

"Damn it Quatre. You went on living twenty-five years without knowing the truth. Stop acting like I'm a fuckin' Leute. I'm the same person," she snapped.

"Are you?" he glanced at her.

She didn't answer.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled into Marshall. Haruka checked into a hotel and got two connecting rooms, a single and a double. Quatre shook Rei awake and she followed him in a daze into the hotel. Before anyone could say anything, Haruka shoved a change of clothes into Rei's hands, went into the single, and locked her front door.

"I guess we're bunking together?" Quatre looked at the girl.

She shrugged. "Doesn't both me. I'm going to shower though. It's been…ages…"

By the sight of her tangled hair and the smell that had become increasingly noticeable in the car, he couldn't argue. Opening his overnight bag, he changed into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. He hadn't originally packed for overnight, but he found some clothes and toiletries in a bag in the trunk, no doubt courtesy of Haruka. And that thought made him even angrier. How was he supposed to start hating someone who knew him so well?

Flopping back on one of the beds, he stared at the ceiling and blew his bangs out of his eyes. Hate was a word he _rarely_ used. He had never "hated" anyone. Not OZ, not the Alliance, not Treize, not Mariemaia. And weren't they all worse than Haruka had ever been?

He remembered once when he was only five years old. Haruka had rode up to his house on L4 on a motorcycle. His father had always disapproved, but he knew how much Haruka had meant to Catherine. If he turned her away, he was breaking one of his last connections to his beloved wife.

Haruka had climbed off the motorcycle and smiled that cool little half-smile she had mastered through years (_centuries_, Quatre thought now). Quatre would run up to her and embrace her legs, because Haruka never did hugs. But she would grab his shoulders, ruffle his hair, and ask him how he was doing. Then she would bend down and whisper in his ear, "Giving your dad hell for me?"

To which, he would always nod, and both of them would always laugh.

Sometimes she would give him a present. Never anything big. When he was nine she gave him a small model racecar, and told him she used to race one just like it. When he was thirteen, she took him for a ride in a helicopter, then actually let him _pilot_ it. And then when he didn't crash it, she gave him a thin 14k gold chain that he always wore around his neck under his shirt.

But most of all he remembered the gift she gave him for Christmas when he was seven. It was rather unconventional for a "Haruka present." She had given him his first violin. He had gratefully accepted it and set it aside for a few months. Then, in a moment of boredom, he picked it up, found a book in the library on how to play, and slowly started to teach himself. By the following Christmas, he was able to play "We Three Kings" for his aunt. And he wasn't sure, but he _thought_ he'd seen tears in her eyes. Not once had Quatre ever seen her cry, before or since.

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened and Rei stepped out wearing a baggy gray sweatshirt and stretchy black shorts. Her face was flushed red from the heat, and her raven black hair hung down, straight and shiny from the mini blow dryer on the bathroom wall. Quatre was somewhat surprised at how attractive a simple shower had made her. There was no more dirt on her face, her hair was long and healthy-looking, and she smelled…wonderful.

"I feel…so much better," she said. Crossing the room, she opened the second story window and pitched the clothes she'd worn at Saint Teresa's out. Quatre smiled at her.

"I would've done the same thing," he replied.

Rei looked back at him curiously. He found himself blushing then, and the thought of spending the night in the same room as her (even if it _was_ different beds) was somewhat pleasing.

She sat down on the end of his bed. "I um…thanks," she murmured.

Quatre blinked. "For what?"

"For getting me out of there. I don't know how much longer I could've survived. You save my life, Winner-san," she answered.

"Quatre," he corrected with a smile. "We…er, I was happy to."

Rei smiled weakly and stood up. Turning down the blankets on her own bed, she suddenly turned back to him with hard eyes. "You need to talk to her."

He sighed and shook his head. "In the morning…"

"_No_," Rei stressed. "You deserve an explanation. And she needs to be the one to tell you. She was the one who lied, she's the one who needs to start telling the truth. In the morning, you can tell _me_ what _she_ said. I'll tell you if it was the truth or not. But you can't go to sleep, and you can't let _her_ go to sleep until things have been resolved." She paused. "I _know_ these things Quatre. What I've seen…"

"I know you can, Rei. I believe you," he answered quickly, not sure he wanted to hear one of her predictions. Rising, he went to the connecting door, then looked at her. "It's strange. You and I have only just met. And yet…I trust you more than I trust her."

"That's because I haven't lied to you," Rei whispered.

Quatre swallowed and went into Haruka's room.

** Haruka could not sleep.** So Quatre didn't really have to worry about waking her as he walked in. Although she had not slept in twenty hours, she had difficulty closing her eyes. Every time she did, she saw faces, heard voices.

Quatre, staring at her in shock as she transformed in front of her.

Rei, screaming at her to come back.

Ami, laying down across her back seat, sobbing and saying her name.

And…her…

"We need to talk," the room was suddenly illuminated as her nephew flicked on a light switch.

Haruka rolled over and refused to look at him. "In the morning," she muttered.

"No. Now," Quatre said, pulling a chair over to the bed and sitting down in it. He leaned forwards and put his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands with both forefingers against his lips, as though he were praying. "If we don't talk now, Haruka, it might be too late."

"Too late for what?" she asked in a complaining tone.

"For things to go back to the way they were," he answered, his voice a little softer.

At that, Haruka barked out a cynical laugh and sat up against the headrest. "Go back to the way they were? Things are _never_ going to be the way they were, Quatre. You may as well try to undo that whole damn war."

"But you still have to talk to me!" he cried. His eyes cast downwards. "Haruka…if I…if…if I ever meant _anything_ to you, then tell me. If you ever loved me even the smallest bit, explain to me why you kept this a secret for so long."

"Don't tell me you don't know," the remark was sharp, but her tone was surprisingly gentle. "Quatre, before Setsuna told you the story of Crystal Tokyo, would you have believed what I was?"

"…Probably not," he admitted.

"And if I had tried to give you proof, if I had transformed for you then like I had today, what would you have done?" she asked.

"…I don't know. Probably told Father, or my sisters, or someone," he reasoned.

"Exactly," Haruka looked in his eyes. "You're a good kid Quatre. Hell, you're a good _man_. Better than your father in every way, no matter what I've said in the past. But if you had told him, or your sisters, this would've gotten out. And do you know where I'd have ended up? Right there with Hino at Saint Teresa's."

"Or captured and killed by the Leute, like Kino Makoto," Quatre added.

She raised an eyebrow. "I took on five of those bastards today boy. They ain't got nothing on me."

He smiled. "Yeah…I guess you're right…"

Haruka glanced over to make sure the door to Quatre and Rei's room was shut. "Let me guess. Rei wanted you to come over, right?"

"Um, well," Quatre sighed and nodded.

She rubbed her forehead. "No doubt she wants to put me through as much hell as physically possible." Her eyes shot up momentarily. "I'm not going to play her "she said, she said" game, just so you know. But I know you're observant in enough ways to understand there's…difficulties…between us."

"Do you want to talk about them?" Quatre asked. "You don't have to, if you don't want to. This is between you and her. At least, that's what I'm assuming."

"Don't worry. It is. Me, and Rei, and Mizuno Ami," Haruka smiled. "Don't worry, I'll tell you that story. But later. We need to be out of here ASAP tomorrow. So if you don't have any more questions…"

"Just one more," he stopped her.

She sighed. "Okay, what?"

Quatre was silent for a moment as he studied her. "Why me?"

Haruka frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You a Senshi. Why did you choose to hide with me? I mean, considering that I used to be a Gundam pilot, and now with the company…well, it's not like I'm a nobody. Why would you want to stay with me when you could've been with Irea, or Althea, or Azure or any of my other sisters?" his eyes smiled. "Am I just your favorite?"

She laughed softly. "Yeah. And the truth is…" she paused, wondering if what she was about to say was appropriate. "Quatre…your sisters were born through artificial reproduction. You understand that, right?"

He nodded. "And I was too."

Haruka shook her head. "No. No you weren't, Quatre. You were the first member of the Winner family to be born in space and live to maturity. _Naturally_. But Catherine, your mother, died because of it."

Quatre blinked, paled, and his hand started to twitch ever so slightly. "What?" he whispered.

His aunt groaned and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm…sorry. I shouldn't have told you that Quatre. Please…just forget it."

"My mother…" he murmured. He knew Haruka was telling the truth. She had to be. How else could his mother's death at such a young age make sense? _A bad case of influenza_, they had said. _Her immune system was very weak_. Bullshit. He had seen the medical records of his family. His mother had been healthy. Oh, the records never mentioned any pregnancy at any point, but his father would've made sure to hide that. How could he let his son find out that he was the reason his mother…had…

"Quatre, I'm sorry!" Haruka cried. Before either of them knew what was happening, he was in her arms. "I'm so sorry. But this was why. I had to stay with you, because you had your mother's blood in your veins. None of your sisters had that…"

"Her blood?" he found himself asking.

Haruka shivered. "I had a partner, Quatre. Michiru. Kaioh Michiru. Sailor Neptune. My partner in every sense of the word. There was an accident…"

He put his arms around her. Somehow, he could sense that Haruka was punishing herself for hurting him by telling the rest of her story. The part that pained her just as much as knowledge of his birth pained him.

"She forgot. Forgot she was a Senshi. Forgot Serenity. Forgot me. She married and had children. And they had children, and those children had children…and Michiru never aged. She watched four generations pass away before she realized she was never going to die. And…she disappeared," Haruka whispered.

"Disappeared?" Quatre repeated.

"Maybe she went insane, committed suicide. Most likely solution. Or else she's off hiding somewhere. Somewhere by the sea. We haven't seen her in centuries. That's why…that's why I've got to stay with you Quatre."

He shook his head. "Haruka…I don't understand…"

She stepped back and held his shoulders. "Quatre, you are one of Michiru's descendants! The bloodline carried down through your mother…" Tears were clearly in her eyes. "You're all I have left of her. Michiru…"

Quatre swallowed hard. _He?_ Descended from a Senshi? Haruka's partner above that?

The Senshi took in a shuddery breath. "I loved her Quatre. Oh god…I loved her so much…"

And then, Haruka did something she had never done once in her long, long life.

She collapsed in Quatre's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

**"What kind of vehicle are they driving?" **Wufei asked. He and Ami were heading west through Kansas. They had arrived in Denver the day before, and after several phone calls and hours of searching, they realized Quatre was not in the city. So, they had borrowed the city Preventors Inspection Manager's SUV and were trying to find the wayward Winner.

Ami typed rapidly on Sally's laptop. "'205 red Mitsubishi Avesta convertible. Last seen in a Marshal, Missouri, hotel parking lot at approximately 11:47 AM this morning. Registered to Haruka Tenoh."

Wufei glanced at the clock. 5:49 PM. So they were anywhere between Marshal and the eastern half of Kansas. Well, at least they were probably in the same state.

"Do you want me to try and call him again?" Ami asked.

He shook his head. "No. His phone's probably dead, off, or he can't hear it ringing. There isn't much point."

Ami paused. "There _is_ something else I can try to do."

"What?" Wufei asked. He glanced over at her suspiciously.

"There is a very subtle mind communication link between all of the Senshi. It's been years since any of us have used it. It probably won't work, but I _could_ try to find Haruka through it. But she might be blocking it if she's worried about the Leute," she explained.

"Could you try to get Rei Hino if she is?" he suggested.

Ami shook her head. "I highly doubt it. We've been trying to get at her for years. But ever since she went insane, her mind is totally inaccessible."

Wufei tilted his head and looked at her. "Insane? You forgot to mention _that_ little detail."

She blushed. "Sorry. But it's um…not something I like to talk about."

"Why?" he asked bluntly.

Her face grew redder. "It was partially my fault."

"Elaborate."

Ami sighed. What the hell? She knew the story would have to come out sooner or later. If not to Wufei, then to Sally, or god forbid to Serenity.

"It was about two centuries ago. At the time, I was running a little clinic for colony construction workers on L2. One day a man came in with a child he claimed was near death. I agreed to treat the child, and while I was running some tests, the man attacked me with heavy flashlight he'd had in his bag and knocked me unconscious.

"When I awoke, I was in a laboratory of some sort, strapped to an operating table. I tried to use my power to free myself, but I couldn't feel it. It terrified me. And it was then I realized that the "child" had been a Leute. As time had passed, their threat had faded and I had let my personal security relax so I could focus on leading a "normal" life. Because of this stupidity, I was going to pay the price.

"And yet, I found I could still feel two other Senshi. Mars, or Rei Hino, and Uranus, Haruka Tenoh."

"Hold on," Wufei blinked. "Haruka Tenoh is a _Senshi_?"

Ami nodded. "Yes. I wasn't sure if you knew or not. That's why I panicked when you heard me say her name on the plane."

"I see…" he narrowed his eyes. "Continue."

"All right. Anyways, I could feel the two of them both in space. With that mind link I told you about, I told them where I was and what had happened to me, and asked them to help. But the Leute had realized the mental activity going on, and they cut it off before I could get a reply. And then…well, if it's all right, I'd rather just skip that part, if you don't mind."

"…Did they torture you?" Wufei asked.

"Yes. For several days. I would've died if it hadn't been for the Serenity and the Ginzuishou's protection over me, and I would've gone insane if I hadn't convinced myself that Mars and Uranus were coming to save me.

"And just when I started to lose hope, they _did_ show up to save me. They broke into the headquarters in the middle of the night and killed several Leute before they found me. I tried to transform so I could help them fight, but I couldn't. My power had been untouchable before. But after the Leute had had their ways with me, it was gone. So Uranus helped me escape while Mars held them off. We made it out of their headquarters, and I collapsed. When I woke up, I was on Earth with Haruka at her friend's house. Rei hadn't made it out.

"I assume they did to her what they did to me. Ripped her power from her completely. But it didn't stop there. I told you I had almost gone insane from their attempts to turn me into one of their human servants, but I had been rescued before I could. No one was there to rescue Rei. Haruka tried to go back to the headquarters, but it was gone. And yet, the whole time we could hear Rei screaming for help and mercy through the mental link. Every time we tried to look for her, we couldn't find her. The Leute were scrambling her signals. Finally, the screams just stopped. We could still _feel_ her. We could feel everyone…well, everyone still alive anyways. You know about Endymion, of course. But we knew she was gone to us. What the Leute did to her was so horrible…

"To be honest, I'm worried about what we're going to find when we meet up with your friend Quatre. Rei will never forgive Haruka and I for abandoning her, that much is for sure. I'm only hoping she won't want to kill us as well."

Wufei was silent. So that was the great, hidden story of the Senshi. Ami and Quatre's aunt had left their comrade to die at the hands of the Leute. Not intentionally, but they had eventually just given up on finding the girl, Rei, hadn't they? A rather merciless move for someone who looked so harmless and innocent as the woman sitting next to him.

"I don't think it's my place comment on something like that," he said finally. Ha. He could just imagine Sally's response to _that_ remark.

_Well that's definitely a first, Chang. You don't have any sort of criticism?_

But how could he criticize someone who had obviously suffered so much, both physically and emotionally. Hell, he was even starting to feel _guilty_ about the way he'd treated Ami in the past. Would he have said half the things he did if he'd known what he knew now?

Probably. He could be a heartless bastard sometimes.

Wufei was suddenly aware that Ami was tapping his arm rapidly.

"Wufei-san, look!" she pointed straight ahead. The road was curving slightly and starting to incline up a rather large hill. And parked at the top of the hill was a red '205 Mitsubishi Avesta convertible. Two blond figures were kneeling down next to it while a longhaired brunette leaned against the back.

"Damn divided highway," he muttered, crossing the grassy median and driving the wrong way up the other side. By some stroke of luck, there were no cars coming.

Quatre glanced up at the white SUV suddenly driving towards them. He paled; the driver _had _to be drunk. He was driving the wrong way!

"Haruka, get out of the way!" he said, pulling her around to the back and off the road. Rei, however, stepped out in front of the car as the SUV stopped and two people, a Chinese man and a blue-haired woman climbed out.

"Wufei?" Quatre blinked.

"You'd think a car like that would be easier to find, what with the speeding down the highways at 85 and all," he commented.

Haruka glared at him. "You got a problem with my car?"

"Haruka!" Ami cut off, trying to head off the fight. "It's good to see you. And…Rei…"

The two girls stared at each other, as the others watched the tension between them. Several emotions were visible on Ami's face. Sadness, remorse, relief, joy, and fear. But Rei's expression was empty.

"Hello Ami-san," Rei replied curtly. "It's been a while."

"Yes, it has," Ami said softly. "How are you?"

"Better than I've been in a while," she answered. "Yourself?"

"Okay. Um…" Ami glanced at Haruka, then Wufei for help. To her surprise (and perhaps his own), it was the latter that answered.

"Quatre, this is Mizuno Ami. She's the one who's been helping the Preventors with information on the Leute," he explained.

Quatre nodded and shook her hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Mizuno. I've heard quite a bit about you from Sally and Wufei's reports."

"Yes, they mentioned that information on me was in circulation. I'm sorry Sally couldn't be here. She's in Russia at the moment on an individual assignment," Ami responded.

He let go of her hand and stood next to Rei. "Wufei, this is Hino Rei."

The two looked at each other with a mutual look of indifference. Rei probably didn't care much for Wufei simply because he had accepted Ami. And Wufei probably didn't trust Rei because Ami had said she was insane. Though insanity was not as prominent on the psychic's face as impatience and discomfort.

Haruka broke the tension. "Well Chang? You've managed to show up here in the middle of nowhere at the right time, what with the car dying and everything. But I don't see what use you're going to be if you can't get us to the colonies."

He glared at her. On the few occasions he had met with Haruka Tenoh, they had not gotten along well, but managed to avoid killing each other for Quatre's sake. So he answered with the same cold dignity he always did.

"If you can bear to leave that thing behind, I can arrange for a flight out of the Wichita Preventors base. Still a few hours' drive, but we can be off Earth within twelve hours," Wufei answered.

"Thank goodness," Quatre said.

"All right then, as long as we can all fit in that yuppie-mobile," Haruka glanced doubtfully at the SUV.

Wufei gritted his teeth. Ami smiled and put a sympathizing hand on his shoulder, which he shrugged off. She rolled her eyes.

"I'll try to contact the others once we reach Wichita. But let's get going. I don't like the idea of sitting out here in the open any longer," Quatre said, heading for the SUV.

"Do the Leute really scare you that much?" Wufei asked.

"Leute?" Rei replied. "We're worried about all the cops after Haruka for speeding!"


	13. Segment 13

Still own…absolutely nada.

Segment 13:

A Second Reason to Cry

_Summary:_

_ After a sixteen hours of running from Saint Teresa's, Quatre, Haruka, and Rei pull in to rest at a hotel in Missouri. Rei notices the hostilities between Quatre and Haruka, and she tells him that he has to talk to her about her being a Senshi. Reluctantly, he agrees. After some argument, Haruka explains why she hid her identity, then also goes on to explain the truth of Quatre's birth, and the reason she chose to stay with him: he is the descendant of her former partner, Michiru Kaioh. Ami and Wufei arrive in Colorado to start looking for the three fugitives. While driving through Kansas, she tells him Rei's story, about her being abandoned to the hands of the Leute while Uranus and herself escaped to freedom. Finally, the five meet up and head to Wichita to catch a shuttle back to the colonies._

**"The coffee here is excellent,"** Sally commented, drinking deeply.

The man sitting across from her laughed softly. He was about her age, with dark maroon hair and large green eyes accented by sharp eyebrows. His name was Alexander Venli, a Volgograd journalist, and it was he that had contacted Sally about Anya Karikov. In the past two days since the Preventor had arrived, he had explained about his sister's marriage to the Russian Ambassador, and her adoption of a young boy called Aaron. Venli then went on to point out the strange, sudden death of his brother-in-law, an incident kept quiet for fear that it was assassination committed by Siberian extremists. Two months after that, his sister made the strange move of joining an intelligence group, presumably working for the Russian Government. That was the last he had heard of her.

Shortly after Lita Kino's death, he had learned that she was brought in for questioning by Romanian authorities, and was later charged with the Preventor's murder. Then before she was about to go on trial, she was found in her jail cell, dead of a shot to the heart. But the strangest thing was that there was no gun or bullet found in the jail cell; indeed, the shot didn't appear to have come the standard issue firearms that the guards (illegally, by Relena's laws) used. When an autopsy was done, no slug was found anywhere in her body, but the doctors were shocked to find that her heart and a section of her right lung were severely burned, despite the fact there was no sign of burning to her skin.

Now, Venli sat across from Sally in a quiet coffee shop. Both had agreed that it would be good to take a little break from all the work and cross referencing they had done. Besides that, Sally had also spent the past several hours trying to call Wufei to explain the situation. Unfortunately, a late winter snowstorm had hit the area, and most phones weren't working. Even her cell was having difficulty finding a good signal through the falling snow.

Until now.

Her phone had been set on vibrate and was stowed in her left breast pocket of her jacket, but she had mostly forgotten that since she had not received a call for a few days. The sudden motion made her tense, and her first thought was that the Russian writer had made a unexpected pass at her (a thought that didn't seem to bother her much, despite it's unlikelihood. He was sitting across the table, a good four and a half feet, by her standards), but she quickly got her bearings and answered it.

"Hello?" she asked, holding up a finger to the surprised Venli.

"You're alive."

She blinked and smiled. "Wufei! Hey, how're you doing?"

"All right. Amy and I managed to locate Quatre and the others. We flew back to L4 this morning. We've decided it would be best for Rei Hino to receive therapy from the Winners' psychologist. She's quite calm; Quatre said her condition started improving immediately after she left Saint Teresa's. But she's still hostile towards Haruka, and she also talks to herself and suffers hysteric fits. Oh, and by the way, Haruka is also a Senshi," Wufei finished.

"What?"

"Apparently she's "Uranus", one of the "Outer Senshi". Meioh forgot to mention that," he commented. "And although Amy claims that both she and Rei lost her powers, Quatre's aunt seems to have hers in perfect condition. If you believe his account of Saint Teresa's destruction, of course."

"I saw that on the news last night," Sally nodded. "It had me a little worried. But everyone's okay?"

"Yes. And you?" Wufei asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." She looked across the table and smiled slightly. "Mr. Venli does seem to be the real thing. Hold on a moment."

Sally put her hand over the mouthpiece and looked at Venli. "It's my partner. Mr. Venli, I'm hoping you'll allow me to ask him to join us here on Earth."

Venli smirked. "You don't trust me, Miss Po?"

"Not at all," she replied matter-of-factly. "And I also think my partner would like to hear your story as well."

"If he's willing to listen, I'm willing to tell," Venli responded, matching her tone.

"Thank you," she put the phone back up to her ear. "Wufei, would it be nearly impossible to ask you to leave Quatre's world of luxury to meet me down here in this frozen hell?"

"I'm boarding my shuttle in twenty minutes," Wufei answered. "If you can give me a location and a time, it'll be far more convenient than having to go over the entire city looking for you."

"All right…" Sally checked her watch. "Six hour flight…9:00 PM, at a coffee shop on the river called _Shvibsik._ Mr. Venli and I will be waiting in the back booth by the window."

"…Okay." Wufei answered slowly, then spoke again. "You sound a little to happy about something."

"Do I?" she mused, looking back at Venli. "Hm. I'll try to get depressed by the time you get here."

"You're hilarious."

"I know. I'll see you in a while."

"Good bye."

"Bye."

Venli tilted his head as she grinned, shook her head, and put the phone back.

"Tell me, is your amusement at apparently nothing an American thing, or a woman thing?"

Sally raised an eyebrow as she stole her partner's words. "You're hilarious."

**Rashid** **stared out the shuttle's window.** Setsuna had contacted him that morning and had requested he meet her on MO-III, though she had neglected to explain why, claiming it was a matter of the utmost urgency. She had also told him to leave their son with the neighbor woman who watched over him during the day. Lera had a boy the same age as Jabreel, so it hadn't been difficult to get him to stay behind. But that didn't stop his father from missing him.

But on the bright side, he was looking forward to seeing his wife. Although she had only left a few days ago, she was never far from his thoughts and the occasions when they could just be together were rare. Then again, it wasn't likely that this was one of those times.

"Sir, would you care for something to drink?" the stewardess asked as she wheeled a cart up the aisle. "Soda, coffee, tea, wine…"

"A cup of tea, please," he answered, somewhat absentmindedly. His mind was still on the thoughts of his family.

"All right," she placed a steaming black ceramic mug on his tray table. "Here you are sir. Anything else?"

"No thank you."

"Okay," she moved up to the next row.

Slowly, he emptied the contents of a single sugar packet into the tea and stirred slowly. His eyes were still focused on the blackness outside the window. Perhaps it was a trick of the light reflecting off the glass, but he could've sworn something was moving towards the shuttle. Something large.

There! A flash of light! Or…was that a camera flash from the family sitting two rows behind him? Rashid set the mug down squinted. There was a large dark hole in the multitude of stars. Another shuttle? An asteroid, perhaps?

No. It passed in front of the Moon off in the distance, and his heart caught in his throat. A huge black shape stood out against the silver-white orb. Even thought it was still a thousand yards away, it dwarfed the communications satellite about five hundred feet to the left of it. And he knew for a fact that that particular satellite, Nextel Lunar Unit No. 0462, was fifteen hundred feet in diameter. It had broken records when it went up twenty years ago.

The dark shape was at least twice as long.

By now, other people on his side of the shuttle were noticing the strange colossus. Whoever it was with the camera was flashing pictures rapidly, and the stewardesses had all gathered together and were whispering to each other. Several passengers tried to ask them what the object was, but there was no answer. A cold feeling wormed its way into Rashid's chest; he knew whatever that dark thing was, it did not bode well.

Suddenly, there was an eruption of crimson light behind the object, and it rapidly began to grow. It took those on the shuttle a moment to realize that this strange, gigantic thing was a spacecraft, it was moving towards them. Now it was five thousand feet away…two thousand…seventy-five hundred…

Then it paused.

It was at that moment Rashid knew he would never see his wife and son again.

"Allah protect them," he whispered.

Thirteen bright lights suddenly blinked on all along the side of the ship, and thirteen bright beams shot towards the shuttle.

They knew no more.

**Setsuna was aware of the exact moment of her husband's death.** So was Jabreel. While his mother locked the door to her MO-III office and wept for the cruelty of Fate, the boy stared up at the sky that had claimed his father, and marveled at the mysteries of it.

**"It makes you wonder,"** Lucrezia said softly as she and Zechs watched the shuttle explode into a dispersed mass of metal and flesh and bone and blood. Both of them were safely hidden in a two-person shuttle well masked by signal jammers. Unless the Leute craft were to smash into them directly, the chances they'd be noticed were slim.

"About why they're so willing to murder innocent people?" her husband answered. His voice was nearly emotionless, and yet, it was tinted with the slightest tone of sadness.

She shook her head. "No. It makes me wonder how long until they start going after satellites…colonies…perhaps even Earth itself."

Zechs put an arm around her shoulder. "Never. They can't. It's not Earth they want to destroy. It's us. And once they've rid the world of humans, they'll want to use what we've left behind for them. No, I think the colonies and the planet are safe."

"A relief…I suppose…"

He could tell she was thinking of their children, and thanking god that none of them had been on that shuttle. But no doubt there had been children on the shuttle; and men and women and elderly and teenagers. All civilians. Then again, in a world of peace, a world without a military or weapons, _everyone_ was a civilian. Except for Setsuna Meioh's people, of course.

"At least we now know what it is we're up against," Lucrezia sighed. "What did Setsuna say their crafts were called?"

"Chimaeras."

Setsuna had contacted the Marquises shortly after Lita Kino's murder. Although both had been suspicious of Setsuna at first, they had eventually agreed to join the revolution after witnessing Roderick Bailey's execution. Since then, their three children had been staying safely at their grandmother's house, while their parents were busy looking after Relena, avoiding Leute assassins, and been out scouting on intelligence missions, not unlike that moment.

The Chimaera hesitated near the wreckage of the passenger shuttle for about fifteen minutes before the red boosters lit up and it pulled away and vanished amongst the stars. Zechs looked at his wife and nodded, meaning they should do the same. She took a drink from a water bottle floating near her shoulder, then started to turn their shuttle around.

**"Shit shit shit shit SHIT!" **Mariemaia cursed as the TV in the spaceport's waiting area depicted the destruction of the passenger shuttle. Immediately, she pulled out a cell phone and dialed Rini's number.

"Pick up Chiba…come on…"

Duo glanced at her reassuringly. "Maia, relax. Rini and Hotaru _couldn't_ have been on that shuttle. It was headed for—"

"Shhhh! Shut up you imbecile!" she snapped. As it turned out, Rini and Hotaru were the ones late getting to the spaceport. Nearly an hour after their shuttle to MO-III had left, they arrived breathless and sweaty, claiming they had been attacked by Leute while leaving the hotel. However, there hadn't been much substance to the story, considering that the number of Leute ranged from five to twenty each time they (Rini, actually) repeated the story, and the description of the was "they just looked like ordinary Leute". However, Mariemaia had a pretty good idea of the truth, and rather than snap at the two women for engaging themselves in the wrong activity at the wrong time, she simply amused herself by looking at Duo's confused face when she dropped hints. But on the downside, they could no longer get four seats together on a flight to the satellite. Indeed, they couldn't even get four seats on a single _shuttle_ to MO-III, so they were going to go two and two: Mariemaia and Duo, and Rini and Hotaru.

But now, it seemed that all flights were suddenly being cancelled. Hence Mariemaia's angry phone call to her fellow team member.

In a different waiting area of the spaceport, Rini picked up her phone.

"Hello?"

"We're in deep shit Chiba," Mariemaia snapped.

"No kidding. Watch your language Maia."

"Don't tell me to watch my fuckin' language. If we don't think of somethin' fast, we're gonna be stuck here. Meioh wants us ASAP, and I don't want to deal with a bunch of panicking civilians asking me questions about a Chimaera! Oh, and by the way, I think there's Leute in the spaceport!"

"First of all, you're not supposed to let on that you know about those. Second of all, what the hell do you want me to do? We can't even get a charter shuttle without blowing our cover, which is suicide if you're right and there _are_ Leute in the spaceport," Rini glanced around. Sure enough, there was a little blond-haired hermaphrodite peering into the gift shop window across the concourse.

Hotaru stood up, but Rini grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down, shaking her head and mouthing the word "No". On the other end of the phone, she was vaguely aware of Mariemaia and Duo murmuring to each other. Finally, the redhead's voice spoke again.

"Okay, look. Duo's got an idea that might work. Can you meet us in the food court near the baggage claim in five minutes?" she asked.

"Yeah, no problem. What are you planning?" Rini whispered.

"We'll tell you when we get there," Mariemaia paused. "Sorry about being bitchy before. I get nasty under pressure, don't I?"

"No worse than PMS, Maia. See you in five," she replied, then folded up her phone and stowed it. Grabbing Hotaru's hand, she led the black-haired girl to the food court, with the other hand buried in her coat pocket filled with change…or rather, shurikin hidden as loose change.

When the reached the food court, Duo and Mariemaia were seated at a table with two paper bags from McDonald's between them on the ends. Hotaru and Rini sat down across from them on the bench, and all four leaned forward behind the cover of the bags.

"Okay, so what's this great plan?" Rini pressed.

Duo grinned. "A lot of confusion around here, isn't there?" he asked. They nodded in agreement. Everywhere people were standing in groups gawking at the TVs mounted on the walls, or huddled near the floor crying and praying, or running around in a panic and looking for spaceport personnel. Not quite a three-ring circus yet, but if the Leute located sporadically around the complex made a move, no doubt it would erupt into chaos.

"So how long do you think it would take people to notice that a shuttle took off without authorization?" he continued.

Hotaru frowned. "But how would you get the access codes to get into the hangar?"

"Apparently, he's a hacker," Mariemaia answered, shooting a skeptical look at the smiling man.

"Not the best, but pretty damn good if I say so myself. Government databases aren't too bad, so spaceport security should be a piece of cake. That is, if you three can cover me long enough so that we can actually enter the codes without getting noticed by either personnel or Leute," Duo explained.

"Once the codes are entered, we make a break for the shuttle. Rini and I take out any guards while Hotaru slips to the control booth and sets the launch sequence, then Duo gets us all on board and pilots us to MO-III," Mariemaia finished. "What do you guys think?"

Hotaru and Rini looked at each other. Finally, Hotaru spoke.

"There isn't really any other option is there, except for to try to charter a shuttle, let the Leute know about our presence, and try to fight off however many they've got here while avoiding civilian casualties and a try for successful escape."

"…Exactly what I was thinking!" Duo blinked. Rini and Mariemaia rolled their eyes.

"Anyways, you two pick the poison yet?" Rini asked.

Mariemaia nodded. "Yes. Hanger C25 Alpha. It was one originally headed for MO-III. We figure if we should get caught after leaving, they won't chase after us, assuming that the pilot was just ignoring directions and going to the original destination. It was also going to be a small flight, so all the passengers have left the waiting area, and the entire thing has been aborted. However, there may still be a few general security people there, so we'll have to be ready."

"Okay. I'm in," Rini said.

"So am I," Hotaru added.

"Great," Duo stood up and looked at them. "Well ladies? Time's a'wastin!"

Red Delta looked at each other and wondered what they'd gotten themselves into, but followed anyways. Both Duo and Mariemaia had seen the entrance to the hangar prior to going to the food court, and luckily there was no one near it, and the waiting area was empty. But the next waiting area and hangar entrance was only about thirty feet away and populated with about a dozen people glued to the TV screen, so they would have to be a bit cautious.

"You sure you can handle this?" Mariemaia whispered to Duo.

He patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about it babe."

She let out a little laugh and shook her head. "You'd better not get us killed Duo. It'd be a shame to have to strangle that pretty neck of yours."

Saluting her, he quickly turned to the keypad and plugged a calculator-like device into it. Meanwhile, the three women crowded around the hangar entrance in front of him and began to talk in low voices. A few people passed by, but none paid any attention to them, assuming they were gossiping about the horrible shuttle crash (or was it a crash? Everyone was saying they saw it destroyed by a gigantic spacecraft). About four minutes later, there was a beep and a rush of air as the hangar door opened.

"All right we're in. Come on," Duo hissed, hoping no one noticed. The four entered, looked at each other, then took off running at top speed down the corridor to the hangar. To their surprise, all the lights save those on the control booth were off, and there was only a single guard sitting on a chair in the corner. Asleep.

"Let me handle this," Hotaru whispered. She drew a small bottle of Tylenol out of her purse, then pressed a handkerchief over her nose and mouth and motioned for the others to stay back and do the same. Flipping the cap of the bottle off with her thumb, she held it under the sleeping guard's nose. In the fluorescent light of the control booth, little greenish fumes were visible coming out of the bottle. The guard inhaled, groaned, and his jaw went slack. Jamming the cap back on the bottle, Hotaru put it back in her purse and removed the handkerchief.

"Wow…what'd you do to him?" Duo asked.

She shrugged. "Nothing special. Just made sure he would have a nice long nap, and that we wouldn't interrupt him." She crouched down in front of the panels in the control booth and began to type and set the launch sequence. Two seconds later, she was finished and the door to the cockpit opened up.

"Okay, let's go. Duo, when the engines ignite that'll start the launch," Hotaru said, securely closing the door to the control booth behind her.

"Oh, but you're not going anywhere."

The four turned to see a group of about a dozen Leute standing in the entrance to the hangar.

"Shit…" Mariemaia groaned. A red haired Leute stepped forward and smiled.

"Duo Maxwell…I've been hoping to finish our little elevator scuffle for a while now," it replied.

He narrowed his eyes. "You'd be Aethrin then?"

"I am," Aethrin replied, then looked at the three Red Delta members. "Lord Eljira is not happy with you three. You, Lady Khushrenada, are number one on the Lord's list ever since you robbed us of Juril. As for Saturn and the Princess…well, your fate was foreordained."

"You can tell "Lord Eljira" to go fuck a dog, if he can figure out how," Mariemaia spat. "And I hope you rot in hell with your precious Juril."

At the last remark, Aethrin had forgotten all about Duo and the two Senshi and gone directly for Mariemaia. But she had expected this and suddenly had a pair of nunchaku out and flailed them into his arms and torso. Everyone watched the fight in shock as human and Leute battled it out.

Suddenly, Aethrin spun into a roundhouse kick that took Mariemaia square in the stomach, and she flew sprawling under the shuttle. The spell broken, the other Leute dashed forwards and went for the remaining fighters.

But all three of them had excellent reflexes. Four went for Duo, who avoided their knife strokes and managed to take down three with the gun concealed in his jacket. The other one he shoved against the wall and punched in the face, then fell to his knees and looked for Mariemaia. She struggled to her feet and began grappling with Aethrin again. Rini, on the other hand, was dealing out her "change" with deadly accuracy, causing several Leute to scream in agony as shurikin gouged out their eyes. Hotaru had pulled out a pair of daggers and dealt quick death blows to those that fell.

Under the shuttle, Duo tried to aim the gun at Aethrin, but realized he couldn't get a clear shot with Mariemaia at such close quarters. Cursing under his breath, he slipped behind the Leute assassin, grabbed him by the waist, and nearly threw him across the hangar. Enraged, Aethrin pulled out a gun of his own and aimed at Duo, but suddenly the gun too went flying as the wooden handle of one of Mariemaia's nunchaku connected with the Leute's wrist. He was about to go for her again when Duo punched him in the gun and he dropped to his knees.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her wrist and waving to Rini and Hotaru. The two women nodded and finished their tandem kill, then joined the other two on board the shuttle. Slamming the door shut before the few remaining Leute (including Aethrin) could get in, Duo climbed into the pilot's seat and ignited the engines. The launch sequence commenced.

As the airlocks in the hangar began to open, the Leute realized they needed to get out or be swallowed by the vacuum of choice. With Aethrin leading the retreat, all but the dead managed to escape. Those were crushed beneath the wheels of the shuttle as it jetted forward.

As the tunneled runway flew past, Mariemaia, sitting in the copilot's seat, looked over at Duo.

"You save my life," she murmured softly.

He glanced at her and smiled slightly. "Hey, you saved me too."

"Yeah, but you saved me first. Why? You could've shot him right there," Mariemaia pointed out.

Duo shook his head. "Somebody's gotta think about the costs of human life in a war. If I totally disregarded your life, that wouldn't be any better than a Leute, would it?"

"I guess…"

"And besides," his smile grew. "It'd be a shame to have to kill a hottie like you, especially since you're so good to have in a fight."

Mariemaia laughed. "Same to you, Duo. Same to you."


	14. Segment 14

Owning absolutely nothing.

Segment 14:

A Flower, Red Like Blood

_Summary:_

_ On Earth, Sally meets with Alexander Venli to hear his story, then receives a phone call from Wufei explaining the situation with Quatre and Rei. He agrees to meet her in Russia to speak to Venli for himself. The Leute make another strike, this time against a civilian shuttle that happens to be carrying Rashid. Using a battleship called a Chimaera, they destroy the shuttle and everyone on board, then vanish. After seeing the attack on TV, Duo and Red Delta decide to steal a shuttle to get to MO-III to meet with Setsuna. During a skirmish with Aethrin in the hangar, Duo saves Mariemaia and they all manage to escape._

**"Any luck?"** Lady Une asked.

Trowa shook his head. With Dahlia now enrolled in the local private school, they could relax a little bit. Her absence provided them with eight full hours to research and investigate, though when the shuttle had gone down and she had come home early, their cover had almost been completely destroyed. However, they had seen the school's closing coming, and had managed to lock away everything they'd been doing.

Their main focus now was information on what Setsuna had called a "Chimaera". It was the large ship that the Leute had used against the passenger shuttle. Unfortunately, all they'd been able to locate was different video footage of the attack, and none of it very clear. Everything they looked at seemed exactly the same; a large black shadow that suddenly burst into illumination, then the shuttle explosion, and a rocket blast as the Chimaera vanished.

Now, Lady Une stood behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Then maybe you should take a break."

"She'll be home in two hours," he answered.

"So? Twenty minutes won't hurt you," her hands slowly began to move rhythmically, massaging his shoulder and upper back. "Trowa…you haven't slept in days. I'm worried about you."

He reached up and put on hand over her own. "Don't be. I'm fine."

"No, you're not," she said, pulling away and taking a few steps back. She turned towards the wall. "You're afraid of her, I und—"

"I'm not afraid of her. I just don't trust her," Trowa cut off.

"Don't be a goddamn idiot Trowa! You _should_ be afraid of her!" Lady Une snapped. He stood up and turned to face her, his face as calm as ever.

"The only thing about her that worries me is what might happen if we let ourselves slip," he explained.

"That, and you're terrified of what could happen if she and I confronted each other," she added.

He was silent. Sighing, Lady Une went to him and slipped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulders. Still saying nothing, he held her close and breathed in the scent of her hair, closing his emerald eyes. It occurred to him that ever since Dahlia had come along, they'd had very little time for each other.

"Trowa…do you think I'm weak?" Une whispered.

"No," he answered softly. "You're the strongest person I know. You're not weak at all."

"Then don't be afraid for me Trowa. I'll do everything I can to protect myself. And you," she ran a hand down the side of his face.

"Don't ask me not to worry about you. I can't do that any easier than I can ask you not to worry about me," Trowa replied, kissing her palm. She could feel his hot breath against her skin as he whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too," she responded, pressing her lips to his and unbuttoning his shirt.

And twenty minutes later, they were back at the desks, checking for mail from Setsuna.

** "She's really doing quite well, **Mr. Winner. The medication is working wonders for her depression. However, she's still uncomfortable talking about herself. There's no problem trying to engage her in light conversation, but it's like rafting on a very strong river. If you go along with what she wants, the ride is easy. But if you try to go the other way, back to the way she came from, you're in for a bumpy time."

"I see," Quatre said. "Is there anything I can do?"

Dr. Parvati Sana, the Winner family's psychiatrist, smiled at him. "Just keep doing what you're doing, Mr. Winner. You know, I've asked her about you a few times. She likes you, and even more important, she trusts you. From what I've heard, you must have been the first person to show her kindness in quite a while. It's no surprise she has so much faith in you."

He smiled back. "That's reassuring."

At that point, Rei walked through the office door into the lobby. She had been receiving therapy ever since they had returned to L4. Although she still refused to speak to Haruka, she was more open with Quatre, the estate personnel, and his family. And after the first few days, she had been able to open up to him with the truth about what had happened to her.

But she had cried all the same.

"Hi," he looked at her. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. See you tomorrow, Dr. Sana?" Rei looked at the tall woman.

"Mm-hm. Take care Miss Hino!" she waved as they walked out.

As she climbed into his car, Rei looked at Quatre. "Did we keep you waiting?"

"No, of course not," he answered. "The session went all right?"

She nodded. "The doctor's a nice lady, but…"

"But what?"

"She reeks of bad vibes. I don't like it at all."

"_What?_"

"I'm serious," she closed her eyes. "Quatre…I know these things. Like I knew that the Leute were coming. It's like…like…"

"Rei," he grabbed her hand, and she blinked. Then she realized what was happening; Quatre was an empathy. She had suspected it, but now she was sure. He could feel her emotions. Not that they were that difficult to figure out anyways.

"Dr. Sana has looked after us for years. I'm not sure what it is you're picking up from her, but if you're worried, I'll look into it, okay?" his expression hardened. "We can't take any chances, not now."

She smiled and laughed a little. "Ah, maybe it's nothing. Maybe I'm having trouble making the crazy voices shut up."

"You're not crazy Rei!" Quatre cried.

Her eyebrow shot up. "Joking, Quatre-kun. Joking."

He colored slightly. "Sorry."

Rei laughed, heartier this time, and shook her head. "You're so serious. You know, the first thing Dr. Sana taught me was how to laugh again. Maybe we should make an appointment for you?"

Quatre chuckled. "Maybe. Maybe…"

**Moonlight shone into the study where Trowa sat typing.** He knew the risk he was running, what with Dahlia (hopefully) sleeping above him. But he had seen something. A file called "Kentauros Institute Contact Information". A file that he now saw (after much hacking) mentioned the names Aethrin and Eljira ak Zhul, among others. And now, he saw the map of the Institute in Rome.

All he had to do was go.

He would have to go now, before Dahlia had the chance to stop him. And he couldn't risk leaving her here alone. He knew he should tell Lady Une. Every bit of his common sense told him to. But he couldn't. The Leute could be watching him even now, and if he tipped her off, there would be a trap waiting for him in Rome. A trap, or nothing at all.

It was an hour and a half drive to the capital. And the late night traffic would be murder.

**Haruka was staring out the window when Quatre knocked on her bedroom door.**

"Come in," she said.

The young man walked in. "Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. Are you eating with us?"

She shook her head. "No. I'll go grab something to eat later."

Quatre frowned. That's what she'd been saying for the last week. "No you won't. I talked to the security guards working at the gate. They say they haven't seen you."

Haruka didn't respond.

"Haruka, have you eaten anything at all in the past few days? Senshi or not, I don't believe that you can live for a long time without food," he said. He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm worried about you."

"Isn't that a surprise," Haruka murmured, then sighed. "I'm sorry. I…I didn't really mean that…"

"I know you didn't," he answered unflinchingly.

She closed the curtains. "Seeing Rei is difficult. I wonder why I was able to shut her out for a century while she was being tormented, and now that she's healing, I feel so guilty."

"It wasn't your fault…"

"How can you say that?" Haruka cried. "How can you say it wasn't my fault when I _left_ her there? I can try to put some of the blame on Ami, sure, but it wasn't her fault she was captured. She _wanted_ to go back for Rei. But I told her we couldn't. That there wasn't enough time. We had a hundred goddamned years to go back for her Quatre! But instead, I let her rot in that place. I—"

"That's enough Haruka!" Quatre yelled, grabbing her shoulders. She took a few shuddery breaths as the fit of hysteria eased. It was the first one she had had ever since the fall of Crystal Tokyo.

Her nephew shushed her and hugged her. "It's okay, it's okay Haruka."

She swallowed and stood up. "No it's not Quatre. It won't be okay. I can't save Rei, you've already done that. So I have to make up for it in a different way. Rei isn't the only one who was lost in the darkness."

"Haruka?" he asked uncertainly.

She smiled sadly. "I'm going to go find Michiru."

"But you said…"

"If Rei can be found, then Michi can be too. And I'm going to find her even if I have to bring her back from the dead."

Quatre stared into her eyes for a while, then stood up next to her. "I understand. Do whatever you have to Auntie."

Haruka ruffled his hair. "You're a good kid, Quatre. Take care of Rei, all right?"

"Of course."

"And since I can't be here, let her take care of you too, okay?" she paused a moment, then hugged him tight. "Love ya kid."

"I know."

**Lady Une awoke when she felt a strange presence in her room.** When she opened her eyes, she saw Dahlia standing next to the bed. She sat up quickly.

"Dahlia!"

"Are you all right, Mother?"

"I…yes. Yes, you just startled me."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

She stared suspiciously at the Leute. "Did you need something?"

Dahlia shook her head. "Oh no, quite the contrary. I came to bring you breakfast in bed."

"What do you—"

But she was cut off when she felt something jab into her shoulder. She groaned and everything went black.

Dahlia smiled and pulled Lady Une from the bed. All she had to do now was wait for the phone call.

**BLEEEEEEEP! BLEEEEEEEEP! BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP!  
**Trowa pulled his cell phone out of his jacket pocket as the headlights cut through the darkness. He had been on the road for about forty-five minutes, halfway there. It was almost 4:00 AM.

"Hello?"

"Trowa."

"Meioh?" He blinked in surprise. How had Setsuna gotten his number?

"Where are you?" she asked insistently.

"I went through Terracina five minutes ago."

"Dahlia's making her move. Go back."

"_What?"_

But there was no answer.

Cursing, he made an illegal U-turn and floored it.

** Five minutes after Setsuna had hung up on Trowa, **four people appeared in her office.

"Late as usual, Mr. Maxwell," she commented.

"Hey, it wasn't his fault! Aethrin attacked us in the hangar. He saved my life!" Mariemaia defended, throwing her jacket on the desk.

"Did he?" she commented, turning on her computer. "You're all okay, I assume?"

"A little shaken, but generally all right. But," Rini produced the disk with Eljira's message on it. "We have some bad news."

Setsuna narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

Duo's eyes widened. "You mean you don't know?"

"You haven't told me, have you?"

"Well…" he scratched his head. "I thought you knew everything."

"Not unless someone shares the information," she answered, taking the disk from Rini and putting it in the computer.

When the file played, the four were shocked at her response. Setsuna's face went pale and her eyes stared on in shock. Duo swore he could see unshed tears in them. When it finally ended, she was silent for a long time.

"I…was not aware of this," she said finally.

Rini gasped. "Puu! How could—"

Hotaru jabbed her in the ribs and motioned towards Duo. Her eyes said _Watch it!_

"Sorry," Rini whispered, and squeezed her hand.

Setsuna took a long drink of water from the bottle on her desk. When she set it down again, her businesslike demeanor returned. She looked at them.

"This calls for a change of plans. We need to get everyone here. Mariemaia, can I count on you and Mr. Maxwell to gather them?"

The spy nodded. "Of course, Setsuna."

"Mariemaia, you realize I do mean _everyone_. By the sound of it, we're running out of time. We'll meet in South Africa in three days. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Wait a minute…don't I get a say in this?" Duo protested.

Mariemaia looked at him confusedly. "Of course not. Now let's go!"

Rini, Hotaru, and Setsuna watched almost sympathetically as she dragged him out the door.

When they were gone, Hotaru looked at Setsuna. "So what about us?"

A shadow of sorrow crossed her face. "I have a different mission for you. It's small now, but important to me."

"What is it?"

She stood and grabbed her coat. "We need to go to Earth."

**Trowa's car slammed to a stop in front of the house.** When he reached for the door handle, he was ready to dash inside and start shooting the gun in his hand until a stray bullet just happened to kill Dahlia. But now as he saw the first hints of sunrise on the horizon, he realized that wasn't the greatest plan he'd ever thought of. So, even though he knew he was wasting precious seconds, he sat in the car until he was calm enough to proceed with the necessary caution.

He opened the door and closed it gently, making sure it didn't slam too loud. His steps up the front walk and stairs were carefully placed. His finger remained on the trigger as he opened the door.

The entrance hall was dark and empty. No sign of either Dahlia or Lady Une. But there was a light on in the kitchen. He walked in.

"Good morning Daddy."

He turned and pointed the gun at Dahlia, who was sitting at the table drinking tea and reading a book.

"Where is she?" he ordered.

"Oh, Mommy?" Dahlia walked around the corner to where Lady Une lay unconscious on the counter next to the sink. Trowa glared at her and stepped forward.

"Don't come too close Daddy," Dahlia replied, pulling a gun of her own and putting it next to Lady Une's head. "She's not dead right now; just sedated. But if you make this difficult, well, she might not wake up. So please put the gun down."

It pained him to answer. "No."

Dahlia narrowed her eyes and clicked off the safety. "I'm not joking Daddy."

"Neither am I. If you kill her, you'll be next, and I'll be right after that. We can all die like one big happy family. If that's what you want."

"Sorry, no," she replied.

"So then what are you trying to accomplish?"

"Tell you what," Dahlia said. "You've got questions, and I've got questions. So we'll take turns. If I refuse to answer a question of yours, then you can refuse one of mine. Deal?"

"For now."

"Then you can go first."

"All right," Trowa thought carefully. "What's your name? Your _real _name."

"Daara. Daara Mnymar. As you've probably figured out, I am a Leute."

"I knew that from the moment I saw you."

"I'm sure," Daara said. "My turn. Who are you working for?"

"Setsuna Meioh."

"The leader of the resistance movement?"

Trowa raised an eyebrow. "That's two questions. But yes, she is. Who are _you_ working for?"

"You found the file, didn't you? I'm with the Kentauros Institute. It's a Leute operated science and history center."

"Science and history center?"

Dahlia smiled. "I know it must come a shock, the knowledge that you didn't manage to capture one of Eljira's flattery whores. But I'm afraid I'm just your average, run-of-the-mill anthropologist, working in the field. Now tell me, how much have you found out about us?"

""Us" as in the Leute, or "Us" as in your Institute?"

"The Institute."

"I never made it," Trowa answered. "Setsuna called me when I was halfway there."

"She did?" Dahlia looked puzzled. "I wonder why…"

"Unnecessary death, most likely," he suggested.

"Theirs or yours?" she smiled.

"No way to know that, is there?" Trowa looked hard at her. "So my next question is: why did you confront me?"

She laughed. And surprisingly, it wasn't unpleasant as he thought it would be. Sort of like a child's laugh, but a cynical and sarcastic child. "Ah, it's embarrassing, really. But the problem is, you're drawing far too much attention to yourself. There was an assassin here who I'm sure was looking for you. And whether you believe it or not, Eljira ak Zhul does not have the full support of all the Leute. And he doesn't like those who oppose him; he'll kill those who do. And that includes me."

"Eljira wants to kill you?"

"Not just me. He wants to kill everyone at the Institute. I've done a good job of hiding so far, but ever since I came to live with you, I've been living on the line. And I can't work like that. So this is what I want. I want out. You don't tell _anyone_ about me, or what you know about the Institute."

"Some people already know," Trowa explained. "Setsuna, for example."

"If she's against Eljira, I guess that's all right. But if this gets out to the press…"

"It won't."

"Can I trust you?" Daara asked seriously, black eyes searching him. He didn't answer; he didn't have to. Because when it came down to it, Daara wasn't the one in control at all. Trowa was. The only moves Daara could make was to kill Lady Une, in which case Trowa would kill her, or to attempt to kill Trowa, which was impossible.

Suddenly, there was a clack as Trowa set his gun on the table. "You're right, Daara. It's time for you to go. I won't stop you; no one will."

"Hn," she blinked. "You're an interesting man. "Father"."

He smiled. "Not half as interesting as you."

Daara put her own gun next to his. "A little parting gift for you. Oh, and there's something on my computer that you might find useful. Just don't say where it came from, all right?"

He nodded, then walked to the counter and lifted Lady Une into his arms. Daara opened the door.

"Goodbye, Dahlia."

"Goodbye, Dad."


	15. Segment 15

Still own el zippo. **LIME WARNING!!!!!!!!! READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!!!!!!!!!!**

Segment 15:

Gathering Days

_Summary:_

_ Trowa and Lady Une struggle to find more information on the Leute while Dahlia is at school. Rei tells Quatre about her reservations concerning her therapist, Dr. Parvati Sana. Later, Quatre talks to Haruka, who has decided to start leave and start searching for her old partner, Michiru Kaioh. Back in Italy, Trowa finds out about something called the Kentauros Institute, and, believing it is run by the Leute, sets off in the middle of the night to find it. Shortly after, he receives a phone call from Setsuna telling him that it was a trap and that Dahlia is making her move against Lady Une. He makes it back to find her unconscious and Dahlia armed. However, the Leute claims that she is not with Eljira ak Zhul, and asks that she be allowed to go in peace. After some deliberation, Trowa agrees and no one is harmed. On MO-III, Red Delta shows Setsuna the video of Serenity's abduction. Taken aback by the turn of events, she sends Duo and Mariemaia to find "everyone"._

**"Huh. Someone looks cold," **Sally smirked as Wufei walked into the café. He wore a long heavy gray coat and a navy scarf, and his teeth were audibly chattering even ten feet away.

Wufei glared at his partner, but was secretly relieved. Even though she had sounded all right in her phone call, he was still worried about her safety. But now, she seemed just as cool and laid back as ever. "Hn. That happens when you're working in the field, as opposed to taking an extended coffee break while your partner freezes his ass off."

She clapped him on the back hard and laughed. "Good to have you back, Chang. You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"I'm not dead, am I?" she waved at a waiter and told him to get another cup of coffee, then led Wufei back to her table where "the suspect" sat reading a newspaper.

"Wufei, this is Alexander Venli. Alex, this is my partner, Chang Wufei," she introduced.

The maroon-haired man looked up and removed his reading glasses. Smiling congenially, he shook the Preventor's hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Chang," he said in his light Russian accent.

"The same," Wufei replied stiffly sitting down across from his partner. "Sally's told me a great deal about you."

Venli nodded. "I was hoping so. More than anything, Mr. Chang, I wish to find out the reasons my sister and brother-in-law died. When Sally explained that Lita Kino's death was a Leute assassination, I feared that my sister had somehow gotten involved."

"It's quite likely. But let me see if I understand this correctly. About two years ago, your sister, Anya Venli, married the Russian Ambassador Nikolai Karikov. They adopted a son, Aaron, about eight months after. That would be the first connection."

"What do you mean?"

"One of the main Leute assassins involved with this war is named Aethrin. A colleague of ours has encountered him several times, and claims that the civilian name he uses is "Aaron"," Sally explained. "It may just be a coincidence, but…"

"What can you tell us about your nephew?" Wufei cut off.

Venli shrugged. "I have only met him once or twice. He's eleven, I believe, but very intelligent for his age. I think he was entering his first year of high school last fall. Very reserved as well. He spends most of his time in his room."

"What does he look like?"

"Red hair, black eyes. Not sure of his nationality."

"Does he have any scars?"

The journalist thought hard. "Not that I can recall. But I haven't seen him since two months before Anya's death."

"Do you have any pictures of him?" Wufei asked.

"You know…" Venli's eyes lit up. "I think I do. That first Christmas after Anya adopted him, she sent a Christmas card with his picture in it. It should be at home. If you don't mind a quick walk."

"Of course not. You can explain along the way," Sally said as they stood up to leave. "Come on Wufei. We'll get you coffee later."

He muttered something that sounded like "this is hell frozen over", but followed anyways.

**"So…where do we go first?**" Duo asked as he and Mariemaia left MO-III.

She tapped her chin in thought. "Hm…well who's all on Earth? Trowa and Lady Une, Sally and Wufei, _maybe_ the Marquises…"

"And _maybe_ Heero," Duo finished. "Then Quatre, Rei, and Haruka are on L4, Relena's on L2, or do we even need Relena?"

Mariemaia nodded. "Yeah. We've still got to try and convince her to bend the policies for us. And we can pick up Dorothy on L4 too."

Duo blinked. "Whoa, back up. We need that psycho bitch?"

"Yep. She's been working with ESIA. Well, kind of. Didn't I mention that?"

"No!"

"Hm. Well, she's been with us ever since she divorced Quatre Winner. But we haven't heard from her for a while. That's why I want to go to L4 first."

"Look, Maia. You can _not_ expect me to go talk to that lady, let alone subject poor Quatre to her! He was married to her for years!" Duo protested.

"Well that's fine. I'll go talk to Dorothy, and you can talk to Quatre. It's not like we have to play taxi service or anything; all we've got to do is explain the situation and tell them to meet us in South Africa," Mariemaia smirked. "Don't worry Duo; when you _do_ have to deal with Dorothy, it'll be in a nice big meeting, and I'll protect you, okay?"

His eyes sparkled mischievously. "You promise to go all "ninja-chick" if she tries to bite me?"  
She laughed. "Anything you want."

**"Puu? What are we doing here?"** Rini asked as she, Hotaru, and Setsuna briskly walked through the busy Istanbul streets. Ever since she had seen the video of Serenity, the ESIA agent had been even more silent and reserved, telling them nothing other that they had to go to Earth. And now, here they were, walking through the busy midmorning traffic of the city.

As far as they knew, Setsuna and Rashid had lived in Istanbul for the past five years, although her job had allowed her only minimal time there. Although Mariemaia had once visited her apartment, none of the others had ever seen it. But that was not where they were headed now.

In a quieter part of the city, they came upon a neighborhood where there were neat, boxy houses with vine-covered front courtyards and children playing in the empty streets. Setsuna led them to one with a tan façade, where a boy and girl of about four and five were drawing on the courtyard bricks with chalk. They looked up solemnly when they noticed the three women.

But Setsuna smiled gently at them. "Hello Ahmed, Aleena."

They rose bowed slightly to her. "Good morning Miss Setsuna," they replied in unison.

The woman bowed back. "Is your mother home?"

They nodded. The boy, Ahmed, pointed to the door. "She said you were coming, and that you should come in."

"I see. Thank you very much," she smiled again, then motioned for Hotaru and Rini to follow her.

Setsuna knocked on the door, and then entered. They walked into a tiled corridor as a short woman with henna-colored hair and soft gold eyes entered.

"Lera," she said softly.

The short woman looked at her, then rushed forward and threw her arms about her. "Oh Setsuna…I'm so sorry about Rashid."

The younger women swore they saw their mentor wince at those words, but she shook it off and accepted Lera's comfort. "It's all right…I'm all right, Lera."

"The attack was _so_ sudden! And when I heard he was among the casualties, it was all I could do not to gather up the children and come to see you right away," she said.

Setsuna shook her head. "No. That would not have been good for anyone. You understand how it is. Rashid…Rashid never wanted to be a burden to _anyone_."

Lera nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're right."

There was a pause before the tall woman turned to her companions. "Lera, these are two of the ESIA agents I supervise, Hotaru Tomoe and Serenity Chiba. Hotaru, Rini, this is Lera Abassi. She's a very good friend of mine who looks after my personal things for me here in Istanbul."

"Nice to meet you," Rini replied slowly, unsure of whether she should bow, as Setsuna had done, or shake hands. Luckily, Lera solved that problem by clasping her hand with both of her own and holding it gently.

"Allah bless you. Both of you. Setsuna tells me that you will help save us from this nightmare," she said.

"I sincerely hope so," Hotaru murmured.

"Lera…" Setsuna said. "Is…?"

The short woman gasped. "Of course. This way. He's been waiting for you."

Lera led them down the corridor to a living area where a small boy sat reading a thick book in Arabic. He was thin, but not sickly, with dark hair and skin and dark red eyes. It didn't take the two ESIA agents long to figure out where those came from.

"Jabreel," Setsuna said softly, going down on one knee.

The boy whipped his head up and looked at her. Slowly, he moved the book off his lap and walked to her. For a few seconds, he just stared at her. Then he let out a soft sob.  
"Mama!" he cried, throwing his arms around her neck and burying his face in her shoulder. This time, Setsuna could not hold the tears back as she kissed her son's face and hugged him tight.

Hotaru tapped on Rini's shoulder. "Let's give her a couple of minutes," she whispered.

Rini nodded and took her hand as they walked out. Lera had gone to the kitchen and was fixing a pot of tea.

"We…we didn't know Setsuna had a child," she said.

Lera nodded. "Yes. Jabreel's five now, the same age as my Ahmed. Of course, Rashid is his father." She paused. "Was."

Hotaru put a hand on her shoulder. "It must be very difficult to tell your friend's child that his father is dead."

She nodded. "I…I couldn't…it took me hours just to think of the _words_. And then to take him aside after supper, and explain about the shuttle attack…"

"It was a terrible thing that happened that day. And we will not allow it to happen again!" Rini said fiercely.

"I hope so. All of my heart hopes so," Lera murmured, taking the tea off the stove and pouring it into four cups. She looked into Rini's sharp eyes. "And I hope that you will never, ever have to tell a child you love, even one that is not yours, that his father is dead."

"So do I, Lera-san. So do I," she answered.

At that point, Setsuna and Jabreel walked into the kitchen, hand in hand. All traces of tears were gone from the ivy-haired woman, but the child still had streaks on his face.

"Well," she began, looking at them all. She turned to her son. "Jabreel, these are two of my friends, Serenity Chiba and Hotaru Tomoe."

He nodded and bowed to them both. "It is very nice to meet you, Miss Chiba, Miss Tomoe."

"You can call me Rini," the pink-haired girl smiled. "And this is just Hotaru."

Her friend looked seriously down at the boy. "You speak very well for someone so young, Jabreel. And you can read already?"

Jabreel nodded. "Mama and Papa and Lera taught me."

"They must be very good teachers," Hotaru smiled.

"They are."

Setsuna looked at Lera. "That tea smells wonderful."

The red haired woman handed her a cup. "For your health, Setsuna."

"Thank you," she drank deeply.

They spent the next couple of hours making small talk; odd, considering it had been centuries since either Hotaru or Rini heard Setsuna talk about normal things like the weather, books, music, and clothing. But it brought a strange sense of normalcy. That is, until she sent Jabreel from the room.

When he was gone, she looked back at Lera. "You have been so good to us, my friend. I am deeply in your debt as it is. But I must make another request."

"You wish me to continue looking after Jabreel."

She nodded. Lera sighed.

"Setsuna, I love him as though he were my own son, you know that. And of course I will continue to take care of him as long as necessary. But please understand this; I am not his mother. If something should happen to you, I cannot raise him. Oh, I could care for him; send him to school, feed him, clothe him. But we both know his destiny is far different from Ahmed's; he is not my child. He is yours. And you must be the one to—"

"_That_," Setsuna took her friend's hand has been taken care of. "I only as that you look after him until this Dawn War has ended. At that point…well, whatever happens, he will leave you to face his own destiny."

"But I didn't mean that I didn't _want_ to take care of him! If he leaves—"

"Peace, Lera. You said so yourself, he is not your child, and his destiny is not Ahmed's destiny. This is how it must be. I know you understand that," she said.

Finally, Lera nodded. "Yes…yes, you're right. As usual."

Setsuna let out a little laugh and squeezed her shoulders. "You are a gift of Allah, Lera. A true gift."

She rose and looked at Rini and Hotaru. "But unfortunately…it is time we left."

"What? But surely we could feed you first!" Lera cried.

"No, no. Heaven knows we've imposed on you enough. No. I am going to say goodbye to Jabreel and explain to him what is happening, and then we must go," Setsuna replied.

"When will you be back?"

"Only Fate knows, Lera. Only Fate knows." With that, she left the room.

Rini smiled reassuringly at the small woman. "Don't worry Lera-san. We're keeping a close eye on her. Aren't we Taru-chan?"

Hotaru smiled as well. "Yes. We love Setsuna just as much as you do. We promise we won't let anything happen to her."

Lera's expression brightened. "Thank you. You are wonderful women. Allah bless you."

"Uh yeah…same to you…" Rini replied, causing Hotaru and Lera to giggle.

When Setsuna emerged, with Jabreel in tow, the two women smiled and said they hoped they'd see him again soon. He smiled at them, the first they'd seen.

He had his mother's smile.

It vanished when they walked out the door.

As they headed back into the city, Setsuna looked at Rini and Hotaru. "Do you understand now why I brought you here?"

"Um…no," Rini admitted. Hotaru sighed in exasperation.

Setsuna smiled. "That's all right. This will be your mission."

"What do you mean?"

The ivy-haired woman's face fell. "I've seen the future. This lifetime will not allow me a full life with my son."

"Setsuna!" Hotaru gasped. "That can't be right!"

"Nothing is set in stone," she replied. "But if this happens…you two need to raise him. You two, and no one else."

"Why us?" Rini asked softly.

She put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed. "Because Jabreel may be my biological son, but you have both always been my daughters in spirit. I _know_ you will raise him to his destiny. And through your eyes, I will be able to watch it."

"Setsuna…"

"Sh," she hissed, then pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open. "Now, let's see when the next flight to Cape Town is."

**Ami sat on the couch in Quatre's den,** her face buried in a thick copy of _War and Peace_. She had not argued when Wufei told her to stay behind while he went to get Sally and Alexander Venli, but now she was starting to have doubts. The destruction of the passenger shuttle had been very disquieting. So had Rei's anxiety about her therapist. And Haruka's sudden departure.

In all, Ami hated having to question everyone. She was sick of looking at people on the street, wondering if they were being controlled by the Leute. Children with short hair and black eyes terrified her. But more than anything, she was sick of being so helpless against it. What would she have given in exchange for her old powers? It wasn't fair. Haruka still had hers. And it was obvious Rei's psychic abilities had held up even if her fire power had been extinguished. And how many of the other Senshi out there still had their power? Did Mako still have hers when she died?

"Ami?"

The blue haired woman turned to see Rei standing in the doorway. To her relief, they had been able to reconcile. Rei said she did not blame her for what happened, not entirely anyways. There was probably still some resentment, but she was not openly hostile like she had been with Haruka. Ami and Rei were still far from being the friends they once were, but it was comforting to know at least there was no hatred between them.

"Oh, Rei. I didn't hear you come in," she stood up. "What's up?"

She shrugged. "Bored, I guess. Quatre's busy in a meeting with the colony's defense committee."

Ami nodded. She recalled the mention of it that morning. "He'll be home tonight though, won't he?"

"Yes. I know he will," Rei replied softly.

The two were quiet for a while before Ami spoke. "Something's wrong, isn't it Rei?"

She sighed. "I'm not ready to leave this place yet. I really like it here with Quatre and his sisters and everyone," her expression hardened. "Especially now that Haruka's gone."

"Rei…"

"Let's not get into that," Rei said, sitting down on the window seat and looking out at the cloudy afternoon. The colony's light source was trying to shine through, but the filter of vapor was too thick. It reminded her of winter, January. But spring was coming soon, and it was bringing war with it.

"How do you know we'll be leaving?" Ami asked, standing next to her.

"I saw it."

"Without the fire?"  
She shook her head. "No. After…after what happened to Crystal Tokyo, when we went our own ways, I learned how to use my inner fire to see the future."

"But I thought…didn't the Leute…?" Ami was afraid to ask anymore.

Rei let out a soft, humorless laugh. "No. I don't think they actually put it out. They just contained it. I can look at it now to see things, but that's it. It can't get bigger, it can't spread to the outside of me. Not as far as I know, anyways." She paused. "I've tried to see so many times, Ami. Tried to see if maybe I _could_ use it. That was how I made time pass, back in…back in that place where Quatre came for me. But I've never been able to do it. Not once. I wish…"

"Sh…" Ami put two fingers to her mouth to keep her from speaking. "Rei…we can't undo what's been done. I know exactly how you feel. It's like we were raped. Raped in the worst way possible. They took what was most precious to us, and no, we _can't_ get it back. But we can't just give up! We still have our uses, Rei-chan. Don't _ever_ forget that!"

"Uses…" she didn't sound convinced.

"Say it with me, Rei-chan," Ami said firmly. "We have our uses. We are not beaten. We have our uses. We are not beaten…"

"We are not beaten…"

"We are not beaten…"

"We are not beaten…"

**"Damn this place is huge…"** Mariemaia commented softly to herself as her jeep pulled up in front of the Catalonia Estate. She had rented it from the spaceport and dropped off Duo at Quatre's about an hour ago, but not without offering him a ride to her current location. But considering the resident, he had quickly declined, leaving her in a fit of laughter.

Slowly, she pulled up to the guardhouse where a burly looking man in a security guard's uniform was reading a magazine. She tapped her hand on the wheel as the jeep idled and waited to be noticed. Finally, losing her patience, she honked on the horn, startling the guard out of his chair.

"Shit…erm, excuse me. Hello?" he asked, attempting to regain his senses.

Mariemaia tried not to laugh. "Hi, I'm Marie Duma. I have an appointment with Miss Catalonia?"

"Hm…ah, yes. Go on in," he said, hitting a button. The gates opened and she pulled ahead, waving to him and bursting into hysterical giggles.

The drive to the main house was long and twisting. In fact, it took a good two minutes before she even caught _sight_ of the house. But eventually, she made it up to the main loop in front of the door, where she parked. Climbing out, she straightened her long leather coat and knocked on the door.

When it opened, she gasped.

"_Miss Relena?!?!?!"_

The Vice President of Earth Sphere blinked in surprise. "Mariemaia? What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here? You're supposed to be on L2!"

"Oh, but I invited her here for a visit," Dorothy smiled, stepping out behind Relena. "After all, we are such good old friends. And it's good of you to join us too, Mariemaia."

"Don't give me that shit, Catalonia. _What is she doing here?_" Mariemaia demanded.

"I told you, she's visiting. And it's not my problem if Setsuna's other little spies haven't figured that out yet. Now then, would you like to come in? We were just about to have tea in the garden," Dorothy replied.

Still aghast, the redhead followed mutely as the two older women led her out to the back patio. They sat down at a table shaded beneath two large willow trees.

"So…Mariemaia…" Relena said softly, looking at her contemplatively. "It's been…well, it's been a really long time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah…I'm uh, eighteen now," she answered.

"With Earth Sphere Intelligence," Dorothy chimed in. "For the past…three years, Mariemaia? Four? She's the youngest recruit ever. And the rumors say…" she paused and smirked. "The very best ever in the history of ESIA."

"Hm…" an old housekeeper came and poured them each a cup of tea. Relena took a long drink. "I'd heard the rumors that's what you got involved with, but I didn't know if they were true."

"Well…they are," Mariemaia answered, glaring daggers at Dorothy.

"What about your schooling?"  
"She was always exceptionally bright. After all, attempting to take over the world at age seven…"

"Dorothy!" she snapped.

"It's quite an accomplishment dear, you shouldn't be ashamed of it," the platinum blond woman smiled, then turned back to Relena. "But back to her academics, she finished college at age ten. Ten! It's quite—"

"Excuse me, Miss Relena. Dorothy, we need to talk," Mariemaia hissed icily.

"Why, of course," she answered, cheerful as ever. The two walked back into the house.

"What the hell are you doing?" the younger one cried. "For Christ's sake, I wasn't even here five fucking minutes and you have to start insulting me in front of the Vice President of the goddamn world?"

"You should watch your language, Mariemaia," Dorothy pointed out. "Considering the fact that you don't scare me, and you never have, there's really no reason to try to threaten me, is there?"

"What are you talking about?"

Dorothy laughed, a noise like fingernails on a chalkboard. "I know why you're here, Mariemaia. I've got my own excellent sources of information, and I know fully well that Setsuna wants both Relena and myself in South Africa by Thursday."

"If you're talking about those OZ-wannabe lackeys of yours, I'd hardly call them "excellent sources of information", Dorothy," Mariemaia said cynically.

"Oh really. So the fact that you stayed at the house of a one Michael Silver last September is a lie?"

"What the…how did you know about that?" she asked warily.

Dorothy ignored the question and went on. "Is it also a lie that you had sex with him all three nights you were there?"

Mariemaia stared at her, horrified.

"And is it also a lie, that on the morning you left, he was found dead in his bed, shot in the face at point-blank range?"

There was silence for several seconds. Finally, Mariemaia spoke. "There's nothing you can prove."

"Of course not. I still wonder why you did it though."

"Because he was the last supporter of my grandfather, Dekim. And he raped my best friend. He had to die, whether I was given the order to or not," she finished.

Dorothy smiled. "Well, I suppose now I do have enough evidence to convict you."

"But you won't."

"Won't I?"

"Of course not. I know you, Dorothy Catalonia. As unfortunate as that may be," Mariemaia said. "And I know that you don't hate me enough to send me to prison just to spite me. No, there's something you want from me, now what is it?"

She smirked and turned back for the door. "Get the hell out of here, Mariemaia Khushrenada. I'll be in South Africa for the meeting, and so will Relena, you have my word on that. But what's going on here is between her and myself, and we can't have any interference. And from now on, you stop pestering me for information. You _and_ Setsuna. In exchange for that, September and Michael Silver remain a secret. And I've also got a little surprise for you all, but that will have to wait until South Africa. Do we have a deal?"

Mariemaia paused, know that to agree was probably to sign some random person's death warrant. Well…no one lives forever.

"Deal. Thursday, Dorothy. Be there, or I will hunt you down, Michael Silver or no. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, Maia. Crystal.

**"Hm…I wonder if Dorothy's managed to crucify poor Maia yet?"** Duo mused as he, Quatre, Ami and Rei ate dinner. The head of the Winner family had been surprised but pleased to see his friend, especially considering that no one other than Sally had heard from him since he went to L3. The two Senshi on the other hand…well, none could argue that he was an _interesting_ character. But they just smiled and nodded and ignored his flirtatious comments.

Quatre had been surprised to hear that Mariemaia Khushrenada was Duo's unofficial partner in spreading Setsuna's message. He too had assumed she had just vanished among the people of Earth, hiding under a different name, in some crowded place where she would never be found. But as usual, Fate had other plans.

"She does know how to get here, right?" Quatre asked, looking at his braided friend.

Duo paused and swallowed a mouthful of curry rice. "I think so…but eh," he shrugged. "She's a spy. She'll probably burst in through the ceiling in S.W.A.T. gear or something."

"Or I might just walk through the door like a normal person," the girl's familiar, cynical voice answered.

"Speak of the devil," he grinned.

"Wouldn't that be you?"

Rei smiled slyly and glanced at Ami. "Oh yeah, she's a keeper," she murmured, causing her friend to giggle.

Mariemaia looked at the two women, then at the blond man sitting at the end of the table. "Oh…did I catch you in the middle of dinner? Sorry about that."

"No, it's really no trouble," Quatre began. He rose and walked over to her. "I'm Quatre Ra—"

"Quatre Raberba Winner. Of course. Sandrock, right?" she asked mildly. He turned the slightest shade of red, and she laughed gently. "No need to be so formal. We _have _met before. Remember my ninth birthday party?"

"Yes…you've…you've grown up quite a bit since then," Quatre commented. He turned to Ami and Rei. "Mariemaia, this is Rei Hino and Ami Mizuno. Ami, Rei, this is Mariemaia Khushrenada, the ESIA agent who works for Setsuna Meioh."

Each woman shook her hand. "Duo's said a lot about you," Ami replied.

"Rini and Hotaru have said a lot about you as well," Mariemaia nodded.

The Senshi froze. "Rini and Hotaru? You know them?"

"Yeah, they're my teammates on Red Delta. We're good friends," she answered, then frowned. "Didn't you know that?"

Rei barked out a cynical laugh. "Sorry. I just got back after sixty years in a psych ward and a century of torture courtesy of the Leute. I've got a little catching up to do."

Mariemaia's face fell. "That's right! God, I'm sorry. That was…that was really insensitive."

She shrugged. "Don't mention it."

The pink haired girl looked towards the blue haired one. "What about you? Haven't you been in contact with them?"

Ami shook her head. "No. The only others I've heard from in the past seventy years or so are Haruka, Setsuna, and Makoto."

Duo and Quatre looked at each other. Both Ami and Rei could easily pass for twenty three or twenty four years old. And yet to hear them speak in terms of decades, centuries. It had been over one hundred and fifty years since Rei had been free, and yet she was still beautiful, young, not quite pure, but still unjaded by the cruelty of the world. Then again, images were deceiving. And Ami…eternally the promising young doctor with so much potential never to be realized. A tragedy really.

"So…" Duo said, throwing an arm casually around Mariemaia's shoulders. "What'd she do to you?"

She shrugged. "Same old Dorothy. She'll be in South Africa. But…" her face grew serious. "Did you know Relena's with her?"

"What? I thought she was supposed to be on L2…?" Quatre frowned.

"So did we. Which makes me trust her all the less. But don't worry," she smiled wickedly and pulled out a small handheld video screen. "I bugged her hallways and garden on my way out. Slipped a tracking pill into both her and Relena's drinks too."

"Whoa…way to go Maia!" Duo smiled and hi-fived her.

She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear modestly. "Don't mention it," Mariemaia paused. "Um, literally. It was illegal. So don't tell anybody, okay?"

He smiled. "Secret's safe with me babe."

**"Well, this is it. Not much, but for a single man who travels a lot, it's home,"** Venli said as he unlocked the door to his apartment. The walk from the café to the building had been cold and dark and filled with silent complaints coming from Wufei's direction. If Venli hadn't been there to pat her shoulder reassuringly, Sally probably would've gone insane.

The entrance hall was dim and narrow, but illuminated to a soft orange light when he flicked on the light switch. But that was about all that was soft and comforting. Sally gasped when her eyes laid upon the scene before her.

The living room was completely trashed. The screens of the television and computer monitors were shattered, the couch cushions slashed with the stuffing coming out, and written on the wall in what looked like blood was "YOU ARE FAR TOO BRAVE FOR A HUMAN".

Immediately, Venli began swearing in Russian as he looked around. But Sally and Wufei, who were trained to be calm in a crisis, merely looked at each other and shared the same thought.

_The picture_.

"Alex," Sally said, standing next to him. "Where did you keep the picture of your nephew?"

"I don't know, I don't remember! And tell me how I am to find anything in this mess!" he looked mournfully at his bent and broken keyboard. "I had articles from the war on there. I—what was that?"

Wufei narrowed his eyes and listened. Sally did the same. Silence.

And then a moan. And the sound of a gun going off.

Pulling firearms of their own, the two Preventors dashed around the corner of the hallway to the master bedroom. It was in a similar state as the living room; the bed was overturned, dresser drawer broken and clothing scattered about. And laying just beneath the broken window…

"Heero?" Wufei blinked.

The former pilot looked up, his blue eyes cold and hard. He was bleeding from a wound in his shoulder and his lips were swollen and bruised. Little shards of glass glittered in his hair and on his bare arms.

"What the…? Who the hell are you?" Venli asked, looking at him. "Did you do this to my house?"

Heero struggled to his feet; Wufei rushed over and helped him up. It was then he saw what had been a black-haired Leute curled up and bloody beneath the fallen nightstand.

Slowly, Sally walked over and knelt down next to it. Its small, childlike hand was clenched in a fist. And in the fist was a picture of a pretty green eyed woman hugging a red haired eleven year old boy with black eyes.

"Aaron," Venli whispered.

"Aethrin," she answered.

**Duo looked up from his bible when he heard a knock on the door.**

"Yeah? Come in," he said, setting it down. He assumed it would be either Quatre or Mariemaia. They were the only ones who would probably want to talk about things this late at night. As it turned out, it was the later.

"Hey," Mariemaia said, walking in. She was dressed in long flannel pants and a tight black t-shirt. "I couldn't sleep."

"Join the club," he smiled. "Mission anxiety?"  
"Kinda," she said. "I'm pretty pissed at Dorothy."

"Again, join the club," Duo said. "Who's _not_ pissed at her prissy-ass bitchiness?"

Mariemaia laughed. "Good point. We never really got on well. Rini and Hotaru neither. Makes me wonder how Setsuna can stand the woman."

"Setsuna is probably god," he answered matter-of-factly.

"It wouldn't surprise me," she agreed, and they both laughed. "But seriously, you're a vet when it comes to fighting a war. Tell me what to do."

"Maia, has anyone _ever_ told you what to do?" he asked seriously.

"Yeah, of course. Why the hell do you think I tried to take over the world?"

"Okay, besides that."

"Still yeah."

"Have you ever listened?"

She sighed and flopped down on her back on his bed. "Sometimes. To be honest, ever since I was a kid and that whole Christmas Revolution happened, I've been terrified of authority. Responsibility, no problem. Risking my life, that's nothing. But…god. I just wonder, what would happen if Dekim had waited? What if the Christmas Revolution was today, Duo? If I knew what I know now, if I'm this old and my body is this trained to fight and spy and do whatever is necessary?"

"The world would be screwed."

She laughed again. He liked that; she had a great laugh. Sort of like Hilde's had been, but lighter; more like birds singing than a person singing.

Mariemaia sat up and looked at him. "You know Duo, I think it's a good thing I got to meet you. Now, I mean. Not when I was seven."

"Same here. You're something else, Maia. Even as a kid, everybody knew you were going to be something special," he answered.

She got up and walked towards him slowly. Sinuously. At that moment, Duo realized just how tight her shirt was, and how it was obvious now she was not wearing anything underneath. He started to get very warm.

And she knew it. Smiling slightly, she stopped a few inches away from him. "Tell me something Duo," she leaned up and whispered in his ear. "If you hadn't known who I was, and if I hadn't knocked you out, what do you think we would've ended up doing in that hotel room on L3?"

"Maia…no…" he answered, but his voice was shaky and weak. She placed her hands on his stomach and slid them up underneath his shirt. She laughed softly, and his resistance melted even more. "Maia…you're a minor…this…this is illegal…"

"I'm eighteen, I'll do what I damn well please," she replied, then kissed his mouth hard. He couldn't stop her when her probing tongue parted his lips and entered his mouth. And he couldn't stop himself when he did the same.

When she either got bored or needed air (Duo wasn't sure which), she pulled away and suddenly his shirt was lying on the floor.

"Maia…" he tried to plead one last time, but there was no hope now. His body was betraying him; with every touch from her hands, every movement of her body, he wanted her more and more. And the worst part was, she knew it. So she really had no problems suddenly spinning him around and tackling him onto the bed where she held him pinned.

"Don't tell me this isn't what you wanted Duo," she hissed, her breath hot as she pulled off her shirt. When she reached for her pajama bottoms, his hand had beat hers and were now finishing the job. And he was finished; she had worn nothing underneath. Which meant she had planned this from the very beginning.

He kissed her mouth, but finding that territory successfully claimed, began to wander down to her neck, her shoulders, and her breasts. She moaned as his tongue ran across her nipple and his hands gripped her buttocks hard. But with that single sound, her control of the situation vanished and she found herself lying beneath him as he divested himself of his sweatpants and boxers and entered her.

Neither of them really remembered what happened after that. There was a growing ecstasy, the release, and the strange, sweet relief and weariness when they finally finished. By then the sheets and bedspread were heaped around them, and they halfheartedly attempted to make some order of it. Finally, they gave up. Mariemaia fell asleep, her face buried in Duo's shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her slender frame.

But he lie awake, wondering what had just happened. He realized then that for the first time in his life, _he_ had been seduced. Then again, the only other woman he had ever slept with had been Hilde. And she had been _nothing_ like that. And Duo was the slightest bit offended at the fact that Mariemaia was no virgin. Not pulling of a stunt like that so effortlessly, she wasn't.

He sighed. This little interlude was bound to have consequences. Hell, he knew that a _long_ time ago. He could only hope they would come _after_ the war was over.

**The next morning, he awoke to Mariemaia opening the curtains and throwing a pillow at him**.

"Get up!" she said cheerily. "Off to Earth we go!"

He groaned and looked at her. She was fully clothed in a violet sweater, jeans, boots, and fingerless knit black gloves. He wondered what could've made her so happy. Then the memory of last night came flooding back, and everything clicked. A small smirk spread along his face; she looked exactly like he did the first night he'd had sex with Hilde.

"Gee, did you sleep well, Maia?" he asked, putting his boxers and sweatpants back on.

She didn't answer, but her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Get dressed and get some food. I want to be in Volgograd by 10:00 tonight, okay?"

He blinked. "Wait a minute…didn't last night…?"

Mariemaia put her hands on his shoulder. "Duo, babe. What happens at Quatre's, stays at Quatre's. Capice?"

"But—"

"No buts. We got a lot of work to do and not much time to do it. Although," she kissed his cheek. "You're pretty damn good for an ex-Gundam pilot."

He smiled. "Thanks."

She tapped her watch. "You got two hours baby. Start hauling ass."

**"So, Heero, how did you get here?" **Sally asked as she held the compress to his shoulder. "I highly doubt you were pining after Wufei and me."

"I was tracking Aethrin. Or Aaron, as you called him. Venli, isn't it?" he looked towards the Russian man.

"Yes. Alexander Venli. He's my…er I _thought_ he was my nephew. I see there's a lot of things I have confused," he said softly as he shoved couch stuffing into a plastic trash bag.

"Not really. Your sister and brother-in-law were chosen by the Leute to act as hosts. Aaron, or Aethrin, gained control over them and probably murdered your brother-in-law, then made your sister murder Lita Kino. He…well, _it_…is now on the run, didn't want us to make the connection, and came here for the photos," Wufei explained.

"You too," Heero added. "He wants you dead, Venli."

"What? Alex? Why?" Sally asked.

He sighed. "Because, I was getting too suspicious when it came to Anya's death. And once I contacted you, he knew I would be able to make enough connections," he smiled slightly and adjusted his glasses. "I may not look it, but Alex Venli is no fool."

"So how far do you think they're willing to go to kill you?" Wufei asked.

"I can hope that they'll only view me as one harmless person. Then again," he paused. "I am a writer. I don't know if anyone will believe me, but…"

"The citizens of Earth Sphere have seen a passenger shuttle blow up, have seen the public execution of a prominent politician, and are currently protesting the anti-weapons laws. No one's going to doubt your credibility," Heero answered.

"That's what I'm afraid of. But if they want me…well, they didn't find the pistol in the bookcase, did they?" Venli asked, walking over and showing them the gun for proof.

"I don't think that's going to help you, Mr. Venli," Wufei said, raising his eyebrow.

"Then you'll have to come with us," Sally resolved. "We'll head back to Brussels to check in with headquarters and—"

At that moment, her phone began to ring. Frowning, she pulled it out and opened it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sal."

"Duo? Where the hell have you been?" she cried. "You haven't contacted me in days!"

"Sorry about that. Got sidetracked. How's Russia?"

"Cold. And Alexander Venli is now being targeted by Leute. Oh, Heero's apparently here too. Nothing big."

"Good to hear. Got any plans for Thursday?" Duo asked.

"I've got a hair appointment," she answered sarcastically. "Quit fucking around Maxwell."

"My you're in a bad mood. Well, we're all meeting in South Africa then. You gonna bring the boys?"

"Who's "we"?" Sally pressed.

"You, me, whoever else shows up in Russia, Setsuna, Red Delta, the Senshi. Oh, and Dorothy and Relena, who, by the way, is on L4, not L2, so don't even go looking for her there."

"What?" Heero said, hearing the conversation. "What does he mean she's not on L2?"

"Sh!" Sally hissed. "Okay, yeah fine. We might be a little late if we run into Leute trouble."

"Whatever. But thanks anyways; you saved us the trouble of coming to Russia!" Duo replied. "Maia and I, we're not really winter people."

"Maia?"

"Oh, Mariemaia Khushrenada. Part of Red Delta. She's been helping out. Anyways, see ya in two days! Later!"

"What? Duo! Damn it!" Sally cursed. The three men looked at her. She smiled cynically. "Dress cool boys; looks like we're headed to South Africa."

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_**

Considering starting a Wing/Moon C2 Community. Good idea or no? Need feedback. Also may look for staff members.


	16. Segment 16

I own nothing.

Segment 15:

City by the Sea

_Summary:_

_ Wufei joins Sally and Alexander Venli in Russia. Venli tells about the events leading up to the death of his sister, Anya Karikov, including her adoption of a boy named "Aaron". In space, Duo and Mariemaia visit L4 to explain the situation to Quatre, Rei, Ami, and Dorothy Catalonia. To their surprise, Relena is also on L4, contrary to their knowledge of her presence on L1. Setsuna takes Rini and Hotaru to Istanbul where she introduces her son, Jabreel, explaining that if anything should happen to her, they would be responsible for his welfare. Back in Volgograd, Wufei, Sally, and Venli return to the journalist's apartment to find it ransacked. Even more surprising is the dead Leute and the injured Heero they discover in the bedroom, along with a picture of Aaron, recognized by the Preventors as Aethrin. They receive a phone call from Duo explain about their required presence in South Africa._

**"You okay, Maia?" **Duo asked as they sat in the back of a cab. After leaving L4, the two found themselves en route to Rome, where Setsuna had reported that Trowa and Lady Une would be. Neither had mentioned what had happened that night at Quatre's, but as Duo looked over at the pretty young woman in the short skirt and tight shirt sitting next to him, he couldn't help but think about the feel of her hands on his skin.

Mariemaia exhaled slowly. "I'm nervous."

"About what?"

"About what Lady Une's going to do to me."

He looked at her incredulously. "Why would she want to do anything to you?"

She brushed a magenta strand of hair behind her ear. "Because I ran away from home when I was fourteen and never came back," a small grin crossed her face. "Guess I kinda broke curfew, didn't I?"

Laughing, he put an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about it Maia. I mean, she's gotta be feeling a little guilty too, right? I say, just kiss and make up. If she really is your maternal figure, she'll forgive you."

"I hope so," she murmured, turning to look out the window.

The taxi pulled up in front of a fancy hotel. Duo paid the driver and pulled their duffel bags out of the trunk. Squeezing Mariemaia's hand reassuringly, they walked into the lobby. They checked in, then entered the elevator and pushed the button for the eleventh floor (Mariemaia smiled at Duo's nervousness about the device. Would he ever recover from being jumped by Aethrin in the elevator in Budapest?). It stopped at the eighth.

A tall, brown haired couple walked into the elevator without paying much attention. However, the woman looked into the shiny aluminum door and gasped.

"Mariemaia?"

Smiling nervously, the girl smiled as Lady Une turned to face her. "Um…hi?"

Trowa's face was straight as he glanced at Duo. "I was wondering what was taking you. Where'd she come from?"

"L3. Long story," the braided man replied matter-of-factly. "Where's the Leute?"

"Gone. Another long story."

"Ah."

The two turned their attention back to the women staring at each other. The look on Lady Une's face was surprised and suspicious, while Mariemaia's expression was simply sheepish and awkward. Duo realized that for the first time since he had met her, the spy was completely unsure of what to do.

"What are you doing here?" Une asked softly.

"Looking for you," Mariemaia answered. "Did Setsuna mention that I'm with you guys? Red Delta?"

"You're with Red Delta?"

There was an awkward silence. Then Lady Une smiled and embraced the younger woman tightly. "Damn it, what have you been doing these past four years, Mariemaia?"

Sighing in relief, she hugged her tightly back. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I ran off like I did. I…I should've never…"

"Shhh…it's all right. Don't worry about it," Lady Une murmured, smoothing down her hair. For those few moments, they had reverted back to the orphan and the lonely widow. But when the elevator stopped, the link snapped and they stepped apart. Lady Une's businesslike manner returned just as quickly as Mariemaia's confident one did.

"Well…of course you remember Trowa…" Lady Une put a hand on his shoulder.

Mariemaia nodded. "It's nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too. Though seeing you and Duo together was a surprise," the emerald-eyed man replied.

"Hey!" Duo cried indignantly. "What, you're saying she's not my type?"

The awkward silence returned, only to be broken by a sound WHACK to the side of the braided man's head.

"Ow! What? What did I say?" he looked at Mariemaia.

"You can be such a moron sometimes, you know that?"

"Wha? Oh come on Maia…"

Trowa and Lady Une looked at each other amusedly, sharing miniscule smiles. They made an interesting pair, the ex-revolutionary and the ex-pilot.

"Well, anyways, we were just going to grab our bags and head to the airport," Lady Une replied as they walked down the hallway.

"But you're supposed to be going too—"

"South Africa. We know. Heero contacted us late last night. He's with Sally and Wufei and that Russian guy. They're already down there. So is Quatre and the two Senshi," Trowa answered.

"Any word about Dorothy or Relena?" Mariemaia asked.

He shook his head. "No, nothing. Why?"  
She bit her lip. "I don't know. I just…I got a bad feeling about it. About her. Dorothy, I mean."

"Try not to let it bother you. She's definitely got her own agenda, but she's just as much endangered by the Leute as any of us. She's not going to screw around with this," Lady Une said.

"I hope so. Well, we were going to stay the night, but if you're leaving…"

"Hold it. Let's just take it easy for a few hours, okay Maia? We've been going and going for the past two days. Let's just catch our breath, all right?" Duo said.

"Hm…okay. Well if that's the case," she looked back at the elder couple. "Well see you in South Africa tomorrow?"

Lady Une nodded. "Yes. Take care, Mariemaia, Duo."

"You too," he answered solemnly.

**"You used to live around here, didn't you, Miss Mizuno?"** Quatre asked as he and the two women walked down the busy afternoon streets of Cape Town.

Ami shook her head. "No. I was stationed in Johannesburg when I was with the Alliance Military Medicine Association. But I had a close friend who lived here at the time, so I came down to visit him whenever I got the chance."

Rei smiled slyly at her friend. "'Close friend'? Ami-chan…"

The blue haired woman blinked. "What?"

"Nothing."

"No, what?" she blushed slightly as realization dawned. "It wasn't like that! Really! It wasn't!"

Quatre smiled and laughed softly at them. Despite whatever past hostilities there had been between Ami and Rei, it seemed as though everything had resolved itself. It was strange to see them laughing and carrying on like any young twenty-something woman would, considering the years they had lived. Ami was still pretty shy around him, but then again, she was shy around everyone. And Rei…well, she still had her quiet moments, true, but he looked at her now and saw a completely different person than he had found in the hospital room at Saint Teresa's. She was passionate and energetic, but also had a quick temper and a sharp tongue when angered (this was proven when their flight had been delayed; everyone in the spaceport knew _exactly_ what she thought about Gemini Spaceways).

It was as though he had seen a dead person come back to life.

"Quatre-kun?" a pat on the shoulder woke him from his reverie. He shook his head and looked at Rei.

"Yes?"

"We're here," she pointed to the towering Preventor's African Base. Quatre nodded slightly and reached for her hand.

"You're…you're going to be all right?" he whispered in her ear.

She was quiet, then nodded. "I hope so, at least. If I can't learn to trust my allies…how can I defeat my enemies?"

He smiled at her. "I'm here if you need me."

Rei squeezed his hand softly. "Thank you."

Ami, trying to stay out of the way of the tender moment, stood by the door and waved them over. Still holding hands, they followed her inside. During the time she was with AMMA, Ami had visited the building when it was still an Alliance administration center. So, after finding out the location of the meeting from the clerk at the desk, she led the other two up two flights of stairs and down a short hallway to boardroom 2C.

When they entered, six other people were already seated at the end of the table. Two she knew, two she didn't recognize, and two she had never thought she would see again.

"Ami? Ami-chan, is that you?" the short pink-haired woman stood slowly and looked at her. "And Rei-chan?"

"Rini?" Rei gasped.

"Rei-chan!" Rini cried, striding forward and embracing her old friend tightly before moving on to Ami. A smiling Hotaru followed suit.

"It's been…ages…" she replied as she hugged Ami close.

"I know. Wow…you've both grown up so much," the blue-haired woman answered, astounded. Another tap on the shoulder caused her to turn and face a grinning Sally.

"Hey there. How's the rich life been?" she asked, clapping her on the shoulder.

"All right," Ami answered. "How was Russia?"

"Cold," Wufei remarked bitterly, walking up behind Sally. A bespectacled man with maroon hair followed behind.

"Ami, Quatre, this is Alexander Venli. He's our press representative," she smiled.

Venli laughed. "Press representative-turned-investigator, is more like it," he commented in his light accent.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Venli. I am—"

"Quatre Raberba Winner," he finished, shaking the executive's had. "You may not remember; I interviewed you a few years ago about the amendments to L4's trade policies?"

"Oh yes, that's right!" Quatre remembered. "It's good to see you again. Although I never imagined you'd be involved in a…situation…like this."

"Neither did I," Venli murmured.

"Alex, this is Amy Mizuno, a good friend of mine. And this, I presume," she looked at the brunette. "is Rei Hino?"

"Yes. Sally Po, right? Ami's told me a lot about you and Wufei," Rei replied.

"Only good I hope," Sally smiled.

"Of course."

"But wait…" Rini cut in. "You've forgotten someone." She pointed to the young man still sitting, head bowed over a laptop and brown hair falling in his eyes.

"Heero!" she snapped, closing the computer. "Be sociable, damn it!"

He glared up at her, but rose anyways. Quatre looked at Wufei.

"How does she do that? He doesn't even listen to Relena!" he whispered.

Wufei shrugged. "Damned if I know."

"She's his boss," Hotaru supplied.

The two men blinked in surprise. "_What?_"

She nodded then poured them cups of coffee from the coffeepot near the back of the room. "Yeah. Right after Mako-chan died, he came to visit Setsuna. Apparently, she used to be in contact with the five scientists who developed the Gundams. She arranged for the funding, or something like that. Anyways, Heero had been told to contact her if anything suspicious happened. And since Setsuna can't afford to always go chasing off after Heero, and she doesn't want him finding her all the time, she arranged for him to report any and all new findings to Rini," a slow smile spread across the pale woman's face. "She's also in charge of his paycheck."

"Damn straight," Rini replied, putting an arm around Hotaru's shoulders and grinning back at Heero, who just glared back icily.

"I'm, ah, sensing a little hostility here," a new voice commented.

The group turned to see Mariemaia, Duo, Trowa, and Lady Une walk through the doors into the room.

"Yo Maia!" Rini grinned and waved, then embraced her friend. "How's it going?"

"Good! You guys run into any trouble?" she asked.

"Well, there was a crappy in-flight movie on our way here, but if you mean Leute trouble, nah. _Alles gut_," she grinned

"Practicing your German, I see?" Ami smiled.

"German, Russian, Japanese, Swedish, Greek, English," Hotaru laughed. "The only one she doesn't know is Swahili."

"Hey, I'm learning!"

"Yeah, right," Mariemaia replied amusedly, then looked back at the others. "Lady Une, Trowa, I don't know if you know them, but this is Serenity Chiba and Hotaru Tomoe, the other two members of Red Delta."

"Also known as Princess Small Lady Serenity, and Sailor Saturn, respectively," Ami supplied.

"I see," Lady Une replied, looking from one girl to the other, then back at her. "And you must be Amy Mizuno?"

"Yes. And this is Hino Rei, my friend and fellow ex-Senshi," she introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Rei said, shaking her hand.

"And last but not least," Rini motioned to Venli. "Alexander Venli, Volgograd Sentinel."

He nodded to Lady Une and smiled. "An honor to meet you, Lady Une."

"My pleasure as well," she answered.

"Yeah, okay, that's all swell," Duo remarked, sitting down in one of the large chairs around the table and putting his feet up. "So who are we still waiting for?"

"Setsuna, Dorothy, and Relena," Sally answered, then glanced at her watch. "They've got five minutes."

"Three," Setsuna replied, walking in the room. "Your watch is slow, Sally." The ivy-haired woman stopped to smile at Duo. "Good to see you again, Mr. Maxwell. I see you're relaxed."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, putting his feet down. "Man, you're worse than the nuns I went to school with!"

Giggling, Mariemaia sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Duo. Compared to the way some janitors can be, Setsuna's being very kind to you."

"Mariemaia does have a point," Hotaru agreed. "After all—"

Wufei cut her off. "Wait…_Mariemaia_?"  
The magenta-haired girl looked at him. "Yeah?"

He was silent for a moment, then sat down across from her. "You've…you've grown up."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah…you know, it's an epidemic. Happening to everyone my age." Pausing, she narrowed her eyes. "Wait…I remember you. Chang, right? Chang Wufei?"

He nodded.

"You were the pilot of Altron. You…you protected me on the way to Earth. Fighting…him?" she pointed at Heero. "I remember your face too. Heero Yuy. And…Trowa Barton. The same name as my uncle."

"Kind of a blast from the past, huh Maia?" Rini asked gently.

She let out a little laugh. "Yeah, you can say that again. Pardon my Swahili, but it's fucking scary."

"Mariemaia…" Lady Une began.

"No, it's okay. Just…kinda brings up some shit I'd rather forget," she took a drink of coffee. "Yeah, anyways, I'm good. Can we start figuring out how to save the world now?"

"Well, I…oh my. We've got a surprise guest," Setsuna replied, motioning to the door. A young couple stood together there.

"Zechs? Lucrezia?" Hotaru blinked. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Didn't want to be left out," the tall woman replied. She looked at Lady Une. "Hi."

Smiling slightly, the brunette hugged her friend. "Good to see you again, Lucrezia. Your children are well?"

"With their grandma," she answered.

Heero and Zechs looked at each other. Neither spoke, but there was a sense of first distrust between them, and finally grudging respect. Still, they took opposite sides of the table.

"So all we're waiting for now is Dorothy and Relena," Sally answered.

Setsuna nodded. "Still…we can't afford to wait much longer. They can come in when they come. Thus I declare this meeting in session."

The first ten minutes consisted of running through a synopsis of what had already occurred. The story ran from Makoto's death, to the location of Ami and the public murder of Roderick Bailey, to the adoption of Dahlia and the freeing of Rei, Sally's meeting with Venli and the attempted assassination on Vice President Dorlian, and finally the destruction of the passenger shuttle brought on by the Leute's "Chimaeras". From there, Trowa and Lady Une added the information about Dahlia's quick exit, and Quatre explained about Haruka's plan to search for Michiru.

At this break, Rini made her way to the front of the room where a large video screen stood blank and dark. Inserting a disk into Heero's laptop, she paused at looked at the people grouped around the table.

"I don't know if this will mean anything to those of you that…that weren't around in Crystal Tokyo," she began. "But I know everyone will take it seriously. Because…because we are all in this together, and as Setsuna has said many times, to us at least, we will all have to work together if we're going to live through this. I've never been great at public speaking, as Hotaru-chan can verify, but…I don't know. I think that what I have to show you speaks for itself."

With that, she played the disk.

Aethrin and the bloody Neo-Queen Serenity appeared. "This is a message to Red Delta, and whoever else is serving Setsuna Meioh. The woman you see before you _is_ the former Queen of Crystal Tokyo, Serenity Tsukino Chiba. If you disbelieve this, then here is your proof," Again, he showed off the Ginzuishou. "We have the Ginzuishou, and by keeping it whole and using it as necessary, we are granting Serenity her ability to live. A warning to you: oppose us and the Ginzuishou will be destroyed, the queen along with it. This is also one last message to those remaining Senshi as well as to Princess Small Lady Serenity Chiba, that if you surrender to us, you will not be harmed. But if you continue to resist, you will be killed mercilessly, and not before we have made you suffer. And also, a warning to any humans watching this: your doom is at hand. Justice will be served."

When the screen when blank, there was a scream. The group looked to the back of the room where three blond women stood. One had fainted.

Rini paled. "Mother?"

**"Mother!"** she cried, running to the collapsed woman. The lights came on, illuminating the figures of Relena and Dorothy. In her arms, Rini held a petite woman with long blond hair in a style similar to her own. She was dressed in a plain white blouse and long black skirt.

Rei, Ami, Hotaru and Setsuna blinked in surprise and ran to the back quickly.

"Rini, let go," Hotaru said softly. She took the woman in her arms and gently touched her forehead. A soft purple light pulsed from her fingertips, and a moment later the woman opened her eyes.

"H-Hotaru-chan?" she asked softly.

Tears filled her eyes. "Usagi…"

She sat up. "What…what happened? Where am I? Dorothy?"

The businesswoman knelt down next to her. "This is the Preventor's building in Cape Town. Remember? I told you I was taking you home?"

The woman looked at from Hotaru, to Setsuna, to Ami, to Rei, and finally at Rini. "And…and you did, didn't you? You brought me home."

"Mom!" Rini whispered.

"Rini…" she answered, embracing her tightly. Both were crying.

The others gathered around the table watched in shock, then looked questioningly at Mariemaia.

"Well?" Wufei asked.

"What?"

"What's going on?"

"How the hell should I know?" she snapped. "I've never seen that lady before in my life."

"But wasn't she just the one on there?" Venli pointed at the video screen.  
"Well obviously not!" Lady Une answered. "She looks fine to me. A little upset, but fine health wise."

"But Rini called her "Mom", just like the lady with Aethrin," Duo said.

"What the hell is this?" Mariemaia murmured.

By now, the blond woman had stood and was looking around at her friends and the confused revolutionaries. She smiled nervously and wiped the tear streaks off of her face.

"Um…hi?" she asked uncertainly. "I'm uh…Usagi. Or Serenity, whatever you prefer. I'm Rini's mom."

"And the former Queen of Crystal Tokyo," Dorothy added.

"Yeah, that too."

Duo blinked, and looked at Rini. "You're kidding me."

She smiled and shook her head. "Nope. I'm happy to say I'm not. It's really her. I can feel it."

"So can I," Hotaru added.

"And I as well," Ami agreed. "It's our old Serenity."

"Pardon me, er…Your Highness," Venli began. "But this is really quite unbelievable."

"You're telling me. I just saw myself getting killed," Serenity replied. "Not to mention I've suddenly found myself in the company of friends and family I haven't seen in four hundred years. Plus there was this delicious-looking cheesecake they were selling on the street outside, and I wanted some so bad, but we got stuck in traffic so we were late, and--"

"Huh. You know, she and Rini must be related," Duo commented. "They both cry one minute, and go onto a completely random subject the next."

"Do not!" the two women snapped in response. Everyone else in the room gave each other a look.

"Well, um, anyways, Usagi-chan," Hotaru spoke up. "If you want the abridged introductions…"

"And I do," Serenity replied.

"Okay. From the right: Duo Maxwell, Mariemaia Khushrenada, Quatre Raberba Winner, Heero Yuy, Zechs Marquise, Lucrezia Marquise, Lady Une, Trowa Barton, Chang Wufei, Sally Po, and Alexander Venli."

"It's nice to meet you all," a look of peace and confidence suddenly appeared on Serenity's face. "I am Serenity Chiba, Dowager Queen of Crystal Tokyo. I hope all of you understand how much it means to me that you are willing to contribute to our fight against the Leute. Your courage and dedication is obvious; you've come this far without turning back. But please remember that there is no need to sacrifice an innocent life. I will not ask you to enter the battlefield if it should come to that."

With that short speech said, Serenity turned to Relena, who cleared her throat.

"I know that, up until now, I haven't really been doing my part to help all of you. My reasoning had been shabby. All I kept telling myself was that I had to think about what happened during the Eve Wars. That I had to think about how many people died. How many people could have been saved if the weapons had been put down and people had just tried _talking_. I thought…I thought that was what could be done now. And I was wrong." The vice president took a deep breath. "The Leute...the Leute are not human, that's clear. But what is even more important is that they lack even simple human compassion and sympathy. They were willing to attack a shuttle of civilians. _Civilians!_ And what moves have we made against them? None. All we have tried to do is defend ourselves. And clearly, that is not enough anymore.

"By some twist of fate, Serenity came to Dorothy's house. She knew her for what she was immediately, after working for Miss Meioh for the past eight or nine years. That was why she contacted me and insisted I come as soon as I could. I've only known Serenity for the past five days. But she has taught me more about pacifism in these past five days than I have learned in twenty-five years. I know now that it is more important to protect the innocent rather than an ideal. What good is peace when none are left alive to enjoy it?

"It hurts for me to think that people will die in this new war against the Leute. I cannot sleep at night because of it. But…it is better we strive to live than to all be massacred. We learned during the Christmas Revolution that peace comes at the cost of lives. And these past ten years, we may have forgotten it. And now, it seems, that lesson must be taught yet again.

"That is why, at 9:00 AM this morning, I signed a bill that will allow for the construction of military weapons. And at 9:30 AM, that bill was made a law."

There was silence, and finally a collective sigh of relief. Serenity put a hand on Relena's shoulder and smiled approvingly. "You did the right thing," she whispered. Relena only nodded silently.

As the two sat, Lady Une rose and set a briefcase on the table. "I received a phone call this morning with notification of the new law. That is why I brought this." She pulled out a folder and a set of schematics, then spread them out on the table. It appeared they were for some sort of large spacecraft, one used in battle. The title at the top of each sheet simply said "PEGASUS".

The group looked over the sheets one by one, then looked back at Lady Une in awe.

"Where the hell did you get this?" Lucrezia asked.

"It was a gift from Dahlia," Trowa answered. "She left it to us before she went away."

"A _gift_? From _Dahlia_?" Sally said incredulously.

Lady Une nodded. "Yes. That's another part of this. We have to remember that our _real_ enemy is not the Leute as a whole. The only ones we should be fighting are Eljira, Aethrin, and their followers. And those like Dahlia and her associates at the Kentauros Institute are neutral, and possible allies."

"But have you even talked with anyone from the Kentauros Institute?" Rei asked. "Dahlia may be on our side, but how can you be sure about the others?"

"We were planning on searching for it when we were finished here," Trowa answered.

"Hm," Setsuna murmured. "It seems we have the makings of quite an elaborate operation on our hands." She paused. "At this point, it would be a good time to ask if anyone wants out. I will be honest: by the time this is over, there will not be a person in this room without blood on their hands. I am also asking to you risk your lives, your livelihoods, and that of your loved ones. If this price is too high, you are free to walk out now and catch the next flight back home."

Everyone looked at each other. But no one stood.

"I see," she said. "I commend you all."

Pulling out a briefcase of her own, brought out a laptop and connected it into the video screen. A long, detailed looking text file appeared. The title read "OPERATION: DAYBREAK".

"This operation will be simple, but difficult, and will require all of you to work in teams to accomplish the individual operatives. They are as follows:

"Operative One: Locating the Leute Headquarters. We have reason to believe it was formerly located on L2, but has since moved."

"Zechs and I can handle it," Lucrezia said firmly. "We've been gathering research for the past couple of weeks, and we have several leads on where it might be."

"I want to help too," Ami volunteered. Her fellow Senshi looked at her in surprise. She blushed slightly. "I can't say how…but, I think I could find it again. I was there once, which was more than enough, but I…well, with all of the things they did to me, I think I could find the way back, even if it did move."

"Are you sure, Ami?" Setsuna asked gently. She nodded.

"All right then. The Water Team will consist of Ami and the Marquises. After the meeting, I'll leave the three of you to arrange your own flights to wherever you need to go. Now, moving onto Operative Two: Commencing construction of the Pegasus. Self-explanatory, I think. Quatre, Dorothy, I think the two of you would be suited to this, considering your leadership skills and resources."

Quatre hesitated. The last thing he wanted to do was go back to working with Dorothy. But he knew it had to be done. "Yes, of course. I'll get started on that as soon as I get back."

"Sorry, I'm out," Dorothy answered. Everyone looked at her in shock. She smiled. "Oh don't worry. I'll still pay for it. But overseeing everything; that's Quatre's area, not mine. I've got my own things to deal with. And I suppose if things get _really_ messed up, I can come in and do damage control. But the day-to-day stuff is a no-go."

"Understood. However, I think for the sake of organization, we will still use your name on the Operations Report," Setsuna answered.

"Do what you like," she commented indifferently.

"Very well then. The Air Team is Quatre and Dorothy. Operative Three: Locating the Kentauros Institute. Do I even need to ask?"

Trowa and Lady Une shook their heads.

"Earth Team: Trowa and Lady Une. Operative Four: Terror Control. This one will be a little more challenging. We need to make sure that the future attacks on civilians are as few as possible. I'd recommend a co-op between the Preventors and Red Delta," Setsuna suggested.

"All right then. Hotaru and I can handle it. Wufei, you in too?" Rini looked at the Chinese man.

"I suppose," he grumbled.

"All right, you three will be the Crystal Team. Operative Five: Infiltration and Sabotage. Again, need I ask, Duo?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he cried.

"Duo, shut up and say yes," Mariemaia instructed.

"Okay. 'Yes'," Duo replied.

"I'll come too," Heero said. Duo grinned.

"All right Heero! Now we'll have some fun with those guys."

Setsuna typed their names into the report. "Shadow Team will be Duo, Heero, and Mariemaia. Operative Six, our final Operative: Citizen Rally Points. Relena, Sally, Mr. Venli, and Rei are left. I think this will fit you well too. It will be your duty to encourage people to join in this fight against the Leute. If Relena and Mr. Venli act as spokespersons, and Sally and Rei set up training facilities—"

"No," Rei said.

"What? Rei-chan…" Serenity looked at her.

The black-haired girl shook her head. "I can't do that, Setsuna. You've forgotten something."

"What?"

"Play the disk again," she requested. Setsuna obliged. The disk played, and when the image of Serenity came up, Rei pointed at it.

"Stop!" she cried. The image froze. Walking up, she looked hard at the image. "It's not Serenity."

"Um, yeah. We kinda figured that out when she walked in the door?" Duo pointed out.

"No you idiot! It was a mistake! We…they…it was a big mistake!" she looked at the Senshi. "It's not Serenity at all; it's Minako!"

They froze. Ami took a closer look. "Oh my god…she's right. It _is_ Minako."

"Who's Minako?" Sally asked her.

"Sailor Venus. Our leader. And Serenity's body double. She must have allowed herself to be captured in her place," Ami explained.

"You mean…she got captured because of me?" Serenity paled. "Oh my lord…"

"It's not your fault!" Hotaru reasoned. "It was Minako's duty to protect you above all else! And she's still alive, I can feel her!"

"But for how long?" Rei murmured, then clenched her fist. "_That's_ the operative I'm going to take, Setsuna. I'm going to save Minako. I won't let them do the same things to her that they did to me. I _won't_."

"I'm helping too!" Serenity cried. "It's all my fault she—"

"NO!" the Senshi all snapped in unison (Duo, amazed at the synchronization, would joke about it for years to come).

"What? Why?" she asked.

"Don't you get it odango-atama?" Rei said. "The only reason the Leute haven't won yet is because they don't have you or the real Ginzuishou. The last thing we're going to do is send you to them on a silver platter!"

"But…Rei-chan…I want to help!" Serenity cried.

"Then stay here and help me," Setsuna said. The blond woman looked at her.

"What do you mean? What can I do to help you?"

"I can't stay in contact with everyone all the time because I'm constantly moving. If I set you up in a base location, you can serve as the main contact. And if anything happens to anyone, or if anyone needs to take a quick break, they can come to you and you can take care of them," Setsuna explained.

Serenity narrowed her eyes. "So you want me to be the Den Mother?"

"You say that with a lot of negative connotations."

"That's because it has a lot of negative conn…connotative…well, whatever you said! I don't get to do anything!"

"Sorry, Usagi-chan," Ami said gently. "But it's like Rei said; if the Leute get you, its game over, and we don't get to start again. We can't risk it. It's best if you just stay in one place."

"But—"

"No arguments, odango," Rei finished. "You stay. We go. Got it?"

"Fine," she huffed.

"All right then. So, the Metal Team, Relena, Sally, and Mr. Venli, will be in charge of Operative Six. Rei will be the Fire Team, and handle Operative Seven: Rescuing Minako. Are there any other questions?" Setsuna asked.

No one said anything.

"Good. Commence Operation: Daybreak."


	17. Segment 17

Despite Santa's efforts, it seems I still own nothing. Sorry folks.

Segment 17:

Interludes and Departures

_Summary:_

_Everyone assembles in Cape Town to discuss the next move for the rebellion, but the surprise comes with the arrival of Dorothy, Relena, and the alive and well Neo-Queen Serenity. After a few tearful reunions, Relena explains how she has signed a new law that allows the development of military weapons. With the legal barrier gone, Setsuna assigns Dorothy and Quatre to oversee the development of Anti-Leute technology, including the anti-Chimaera "Pegasus" battleships. Ami and the Marquises decide to resume the search for Eljira's base while Trowa and Lady Une resume the search for the Kentauros institute. Rini, Hotaru, and Wufei join forces to work on preventing future Leute attacks, and Mariemaia, Duo, and Heero collaborate on gathering intelligence. Relena makes the ultimate contradiction to herself when she agrees to aid Sally and Venli in raising an army, leaving Rei alone to rescue the captive Minako. As a final motion, Setsuna dubs the entire movement "Operation Daybreak."_

**Setsuna stood in the empty boardroom, **only moments before bustling with plans and whispers. But all were gone now. Some, like Trowa and Lady Une, had gone directly to the airport or spaceport, anxious to get started on their own part. Others, like the members of Red Delta, had returned to their hotels to further plan. She was alone though, with duties delegated and her role all but played. A part of her suggested returning home to spend a little more time with her son, but the deity of responsibility that dwelt in the confines of her soul told her that was not possible. Setsuna sighed. If it had been up to her, she would have picked a different part to play in the drama that was unfolding. A part that was not the Merlin, the Gandalf, the old wise person who would guide just so far before leaving the young heroes to finish the story. And yet, there was no other part for her to play. Her time had passed a long time ago, when the air was still pure, and people kept their feet firmly planted on the ground and left the skies and waters for the gods alone.

Setsuna felt very, very old.

The others, even the Senshi, were still young. They had lived a few millenniums between incarnations, true, but even then their souls slept for several times the number they had seen. And how many had she seen? Since the world's birth, however many that may be. It was hard to look at them all, all fearing that their world would come to an end. And the worst part was that she was forbidden to tell them it was. The world had ended hundreds of times. After wars, after disasters, after the gods threw all that could be thrown in the universe at the world. But even when the world ends, life goes on. It was a basic principle of all things; life, energy, matter, none of it could be lost or gained. Only changed in form. And that is what would happen. And they would go on. That was the bargain she made at the beginning of this incarnation, the birth of Setsuna Meioh; she would die, they would live. A dark messiah who would claim a bloodline and the lives of thousands of people so that the world would indeed go on.

She would miss them. She would miss the inner Senshi, Rei and Ami and Minako, and she was already missing Makoto. She would miss the outer Senshi, her sisters and daughter who had loved her for their entire lives, in all incarnations. She would miss Serenity, and Endymion and especially Rini, all of whom had accepted her guidance and counsel without a second thought.

But the people of this new age had earned her love and respect also. Mariemaia, with her energy and cunning and courage in the face of danger. She wished she could see the path the young emissary would walk, but it was still foggy. Whatever it was, Setsuna was sure it would involve Duo Maxwell, that devil with a heart of gold. And his friend, Heero. Would his soul ever know peace? Would his heart ever know love? She would have to pray for him. Perhaps Relena could give him what he needed, perhaps not. She would have to see. Maybe they would have a love like Trowa and Lady Une, undying and unbreakable, strength-giving and life-giving. If Heero and Relena could not have a love like that, she hoped Sally and a certain Russian could. The bonds between them were small still, but strong. _That_ was a road she could see. There would be sorrow, but joy too, and many, many fond memories. Hopefully, Wufei would not be too left out. It all depended on whether the stubborn man would decide to listen to his own heart when the time came. And Quatre…well, she would pray for Quatre too. For his frailties and the forgiveness that he deserved, would deserve, so much. And most of all, she would miss Jabreel, and mourn for the cruelty and the limitation of the time they had.

They all represented something to her. Purity, adulteration, love, anger, justice, sadness, life, and death. She had known many in her lifetime, but none had been like the group she was now turning loose. She would not forget them, none of them. Setsuna prayed they would not forget her.

"Setsuna?" a clear voice asked. The ivy haired woman turned to see Serenity standing in the doorway.

"Your Highness…" she bowed. "I'd thought you'd gone ahead."

The blond girl shook her head. "No. Dorothy offered, but I wanted to wait for you. And you don't need to call me 'Your Highness', you know. We've known each other for…well, for a really long time, Setsuna. I'm still just Serenity," she paused, and shook her head. "No, not even Serenity. _Usagi_, Setsuna. If you're going to call me anything, call me Usagi."

"As you wish," she inclined her head respectfully.

The younger woman pouted. "Now stop it, Setsuna," she clucked like a mother hen. "I don't know what's got you so upset, but certainly straining with pointless protocol isn't helping."

"It's no trouble," Setsuna murmured. "But if you dislike it…"

"I do. So knock it off!" Usagi huffed, trying to seem angry. But the laughter in her eyes betrayed her, and soon both females were smiling and laughing. Setsuna's chuckles were softer, but there was a serene joy in them nonetheless.

Still giggling, the Dowager Queen of Crystal Tokyo threw her arms around the noticeably taller woman's waist and laid her head against her chest. "I've missed you so much, Setsuna-chan. When you first went away, I wondered how I would survive without you, without your help. But you're here now. Just like old times."

Her smile fading, Setsuna rested her hands on Usagi's head. "Not quite, Usagi-chan. But close. Tell me," she reached down and tipped the younger woman's face up. "What did you do after Crystal Tokyo fell? After you sent everyone away? Where did you go? What did you see?"

"Everything," Usagi answered quietly. "At first, I thought I'd made a terrible mistake. I was all alone, and I was scared. I couldn't even be with Endymion and Rini, because if all of us were ever caught at the same time, there would be no hope for taking back the throne. So about two years after we disbanded, I sat Rini down and told her she needed to get out in the world, to see its sights, meet its people. She would have to know them someday when she became queen," she let out a little chuckle. "She wouldn't leave at first. But eventually…she agreed. I don't know where she went. I only heard from her once or twice after that."

"What of Endymion?" Setsuna continued.

"He was harder to get rid of. Dear, sweet Endymion," she smiled as though recalling a wonderful dream. "He wouldn't leave my side. Refused to. Not until I told him that the Leute had found us."

"What?"

Usagi held up a hand in reassurance. "It wasn't true, of course. Well, not completely true. At that point, I was starting to get a little paranoid, I'll admit. I was convinced that if we were not all completely separated, they would hunt us down one by one and eliminate us. Either way, Endymion _did_ leave. I cried for days after he did, but I don't really know if they were tears of joy or sorrow."

Setsuna touched her shoulder. "Do you think, perhaps, that after so many years surrounded by the same people, a person starts to yearn for solitude?"

"Maybe. That would explain why I wanted to be alone," she smiled weakly. "And it was all right for the first couple hundred years. That was when I saw things, did things. Oh Setsuna, I did things I had only dreamed about as a child. I saw the wonders of the world, I stood at the top and bottom of the world, lived in all of the famous cities and wastelands…ate every single food known to man," she winked. Setsuna smiled back.

"But after a while," Usagi went on, "I wanted things back the way they were. I wanted my family, and my friends. And I missed the power too, I'm not ashamed to admit it. But there was no way to get it all back as quickly as I had lost it all. By then, people were starting to move into space. For all I know some of you were living on colonies. I couldn't find you all. That was when I began to understand."

"Understand what?"

She smiled sadly. "It will never come back. There will never be another Crystal Tokyo. Am I right, Setsuna? Or have you seen the past in the future?"

Pausing, Setsuna took the queen back into her arms and held her close. "It was an age of beauty and peace. And it will not be the last one this world will ever see. But…you are correct. Crystal Tokyo is buried in the sands of time, and no good will come to try and dig it up again."

Tears glistened in Usagi's eyes, but she wiped them away. "Well, good," she smiled through her sadness. "I don't think Rini would make a very good queen, to be honest. And I blame you, Setsuna Meioh, for making my daughter into a rootless, wild little mole!"

"I do my best," she answered, smiling.

Usagi sniffed, still feigning resentment . "Well, at least she's in good company with Hotaru, right? And that Mariemaia girl? She seems nice. Girl-next-door-type."

At that, Setsuna could no longer hold back the laughter. Pulling on her jacket, she put an arm around the former queen.

"I've missed you, Usagi."

"I missed you too, Setsuna."

**Someone was knocking on the door.** Dorothy looked up from her magazine, and nodded to the maid to let the person in. She blinked in surprise when Quatre walked into her hotel room lobby.

"Why, Quatre! How nice to see you!" she smiled. "Come in, come in."

His face was solemn as he stepped forward. "I don't have much time, Dorothy. But I needed to talk to you. About the operation."

She held up her hands. "Sorry dear. I told you, besides sending a check for whatever amount of money you think you need, I'm not getting involved."

"Why not?" he pressed.

"It's not my concern any more. There are forces at work here I don't want to tangle with, so I won't," Dorothy walked over to the picture window overlooking the street below. "I don't have a death wish, Quatre. If I did, you would have found me strung up from the ceiling the day you left."

He ignored the comment. "None of your concern? Doesn't the safety of the world concern you?"

Dorothy crossed the room and sat down on the overstuffed couch. "Not particularly. I highly doubt the Leute will be able to wipe out ten billion people," she answered, raising her hand to examine her nails. "And besides that, we're overdue for a good war. The citizens of the world are getting lazy and fat off of such peace. The battle will eliminate the weak, and leave those that truly deserve to live in this world on top, and wiser in the ways of the universe."

"If we do nothing, Dorothy, it won't be a war. It will be a massacre," Quatre pointed out.

"But we're not doing nothing, are we? You're using Romefeller money to build plants to manufacture weapons, aren't you? And others are doing their part as well. My God, Quatre, even Relena swallowed enough of her pride to start rallying an army. How can you say we are doing nothing?" she looked at him.

Quatre's fist clenched, and he could not answer.

Dorothy grinned wickedly, then stood up in a languid, feline manner, and strode over to him. "If you ask me, Quatre, you don't give a damn whether I do this or not. I can see it in your eyes. You're still afraid of me, aren't you? You were always afraid. But that's okay. I always was one for the soft, sensitive types. Even if they are the ones most likely to die on the battlefield," she traced a finger up his chest. "No, Quatre. Afraid of me as you are, you're afraid of being alone even more. Tell me, is it a scar left over from watching your father and beloved older sister die? Or maybe you were babied too much by that aunt of yours. Well, whatever the reason, you're going to have to grow up sometime, Quatre."

She paused, and walked back to the window, then pointed down at the sidewalk where Rei stood, waiting where she and Quatre had agreed to meet after the discussion. "That slut is quite a bit older than you, Quatre. She's probably used to having men in her bed, not frightened little boys. Don't disappoint her now."

Her head jerked back suddenly. She tried to turn around, but found that Quatre had her by her long hair. His usually gentle blue eyes were now the color of a flame's belly, hot blue and angry.

"It's one thing to waste my time with petty insults, Dorothy Catalonia. But do not speak of Rei Hino as such. Or I swear to Allah, I will make hell seem like a paradise to you. Do you understand what I'm saying, Dorothy?"

She only smiled, then grabbed his wrist and dug her nails in deep enough to draw blood and make him release her. Once he had, she returned to her couch and resumed reading her magazine. "What do you know? You do have a nerve to touch. I'll remember that." She glanced up at him and waved towards the door. "A pleasure seeing you as always, Quatre. You know the way out, don't you? Of course. I'll send you a check for a couple million in a few days all right? Good bye."

He was already gone.

**Rei stared up at the fading blue between the glistening skyscrapers, **deep in thought. The afternoon was vanishing into the warm late summer evening. How strange it seemed, when it was only early March. But it was nice to be away from the chill temperatures and sudden rains she had grown accustomed to for the past century. Not that they ever let her outside in March. She could remember the times before then though, when she lived in Japan, and China for a short time. A shiver ran down her spine. Back then, she would complain every day about the weather. But it was a paradise compared to her home…no hospital…no _prison_, in America.

She wondered what Minako's prison was like. Was she on Earth? If so, was it warm there? Late summer, like South Africa? Or was winter just starting to die, with spring's birth following closely? Perhaps she was on a colony, where seasons didn't matter? Well, wherever she was, Rei hoped she wasn't suffering _too _much.

A tap on the shoulder broke her out of her reverie. Old fighting instincts kicking in, she whirled around and grabbed her "attacker's" wrist, even though she knew who it was a moment after the touch. Smirking at the bewildered Quatre, she released him.

"You're early," she commented.

"Not as early as you," he replied. "I thought I would be the one waiting here."

Rei shrugged. "The shopping wasn't as good as I'd hoped. I don't want to spend any more of your money anyways."

"It's no trouble," Quatre answered.

She tilted her head and looked at him. Something was wrong. He seemed distracted, even a little angry. Usually, he was one of the most congenial, open people she had ever known. But he was very quiet now, far more reserved than she liked.

"Did everything go all right with you and her?" Rei asked, glancing up towards the hotel's windows, searching for a glimpse of the woman who had brought Serenity back. Dorothy? Is that the name Quatre had mentioned to her? Yes, it must have been. Come to think of it, that was another time she could sense unease about him, when he had mentioned that her family owned Saint Teresa's. Well, she certainly couldn't blame him. Although she was grateful to the wealthy businesswoman for looking after Serenity so well, she had a nasty aura that reeked of ill will and general disgust.

"It went…as expected," Quatre answered, not looking at her as they walked down the street to their own hotel.

"I see…" Rei replied, then looked straight ahead. "I don't like her. Even if she did bring Serenity back to us. I don't like her at all."

Quatre looked at her and smiled in a way that a parent smiles at a child proclaiming hatred for a storybook villain. "Very few people do like her. I did at one time but…"

Interest sparked in Rei's eyes. "But…?" she pressed on.

He sighed. "It's a long story, Rei. I don't really want to talk about it."

"Please? It might make you feel better," Rei suggested.

Quatre shook his head. "It's nothing bad, really. Just a little…embarrassing…"

She touched his shoulder. "Do you really think I would think any less of you for something that's "a little embarrassing"? Quatre…" she stopped and stared at him seriously. "You saved my life. You brought me out of that hell and accepted me into yourworld without a second thought. I owe you so much, I don't know how I could even begin to repay you. If you think I'm going to laugh or something, you're dead wrong. Unless, of course, you _want _me to laugh…" she smiled slightly, but he didn't smile back. Rei sighed. "All right, I'll drop it. It's not my business anyways."

She turned and started to walk again, but she stopped when her companion spoke.

"She's my wife."

All the color disappeared from Rei's face. She couldn't even turn to face him. "What?" she whispered.

"My ex-wife. We've been divorced for a few years now," Quatre said quickly.

She breathed out a sigh of relief. That was a _little _better. But still…Quatre, married to _Dorothy_, of all people?

"We were eighteen. We had been seeing each other regularly ever since the war ended, considering our families the two most powerful in the colonies. We were young and stupid, especially me," he smiled slightly. "I am the worst judge of character you will ever meet, Rei. Haruka says it's a curse that I always see the good in people instead of their true natures. So that was how I ended up married to Dorothy."

The shock started to fade with his explanation. "So…how long were you married?"

"About three years. We never had any children, and we had both signed several agreements so we left with what we brought. Except those three years of course," Quatre sighed. "I wonder sometimes, what was worse. The marriage, or the divorce? Or the situation now?"

Rei smirked. "Well, that last one I can help you with, if you like. If you ever need me to bail you out…"

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, Rei. That's fine. She's only human, after all."

"Never underestimate humans, Quatre," she said seriously. "Because it's humans that are going to save this world."

Nodding in agreement, he reached over and took her hand. "Yes. Humans. And you, Rei. And you."

**"Well gentlemen, I'd say we have quite a situation on our hands," **Mariemaia commented as the three sat around the table of the fancy restaurant. Both she and Heero had wanted to get a start on work, but Duo insisted they eat first. Mariemaia had agreed, under the conditions the braided man pay, and the two of them had convinced the reluctant Heero to join them. With a little of Mariemaia's persuading, a little of Duo's bribery, and a little of Heero's death threats, they had managed to get a private table on the restaurant's roof. They were alone (minus the periodically appearing waiter), and there was no way to hear them above the noise of the traffic on the street below. Besides that, they were seated around the table in such a way that none would miss it if a Leute or two tried to sneak up on them.

Heero took a sip of wine then looked at the younger girl. "It's not so difficult. The Leute obviously have a very good intelligence system if they've been this efficient at tracking us. All we have to do is find a way into it and destroy it."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "You mind explaining how one goes about destroying an intelligence system?"

"Simple," Mariemaia answered. "Infiltrate, throw in a little false info to mess up their operations, then take down the key players and their replacements." She paused and tapped her chin in thought. "What would be really convenient is a computer network that could be hacked into from a normal computer. Hell, even something we could try and get at in a building wouldn't be so bad. But if they have all this advanced technology…"

"Then they probably don't even operate on a platform that can be accessed over the net," Heero finished. "So if we could find the base of operations…"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. That's Zechs and Noin's job isn't it? Finding the HQ?" Duo asked.

"That's the Leute's HQ, not their intelligence base. They're looking for their president's house, we're looking for their ESIA building. Understand?" Mariemaia gave him a patronizing grin.

He narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to say something rude back, but Heero cut him off with a gunshot over his head. Duo and Mariemaia stood up quickly, just in time to see a pair of Leute climb over the edge of the building.

"What the hell? How did they get up here?" she cried, whipping her nunchaku out of her purse and falling into a battle stance.

"Suction cups?" Duo suggested, then pulled out a gun of his own, aimed, and fired. But these would-be assassins were every bit as agile as their forebears, and easily rolled out of the way. One, armed with a glass shard studded whip, went for the magenta-haired girl while the other, drawing a pair of old fashioned pistols cowboy-style, turned to the men.

Mariemaia grunted as she struggled to approach her attacker, but the whip was like lightening, and it was all she could do to avoid being hit. She couldn't expect help from either Heero or Duo; she was still at a close enough range to the Leute that if it should duck she would take the bullet instead. Thinking quickly and making a risky gamble, she slowly began to twirl her nunchaku. Flashing an empty smile, her opponent's whip wrapped around the smooth wooden handle and yanked the weapon away, sending it flailing off the side of the building. But as the whip curled backwards, Mariemaia darted forward, grabbed the Leute's wrist and bit into it, snatching it away and throwing it too into the alley below. With no weapons left, the two began to grapple.

Meanwhile, Duo and Heero were shooting at their Leute from behind their overturned table. Like the wrestling match going on a few feet away from them, it was mostly a stalemate. A stalemate that needed to be ended quickly.

Duo looked at Mariemaia, who was now pinned beneath the Leute and was struggling to free herself. His glance shot back to Heero, then to the Leute still crouched behind a table of its own. An idea formed. A reckless, stupid idea, but an idea nonetheless.

"Hey, Heero?" he said.

"What?" the other man responded, shooting towards the other table.

"If I get shot, just take Maia and go, okay? I'll let the guys downstairs take me to the hospital," Duo explained.

"Whatever you say," Heero answered, not looking at him.

Getting to his feet but still crouching low, Duo counted to three in his head…

_One…two…three!_

…And sprang towards the Leute wrestling Mariemaia. Sure enough as he expected, there was another shot from the armed Leute's gun, and he was certain he heard a bullet whiz past his head. But it missed, and he landed on top of the other Leute. Pulling it backwards and putting it in a headlock, he put his gun to its head and pulled the trigger. An eruption of emerald liquid showered over the roof.

Then it was silent.

Standing up and wiping himself off, Duo reached down to help up the bewildered Mariemaia, then looked over to where Heero was emerging from behind the table. The other Leute was drenched in the same emerald fluid, Leute blood.

But wait…he had seen Leute blood before. It wasn't green. It was bruise violet.

"What the hell is this stuff?" he reached down and smelled it. Smelled like blood. Felt sticky like blood. It was definitely blood. But green?

"Are you guys okay?" Mariemaia asked.

Heero nodded. "You?"

"A little bruised, but fine, for the most part," she frowned when she looked at the bodies of the dead Leute. "Their blood's green. What's with that?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out," Heero walked over and picked up one of the white linen napkins from a neighboring table that had fallen over, then dipped it in the pool of green blood.

Duo looked down the street suddenly, then back at them. "Okay then. Well, that's all the CSI we're going to play right now, folks. Because if you listen, you'll hear the sirens coming and we don't really have an explanation for the trashed roof and the two dead kids on it, so if you don't mind dining and dashing…"

They nodded in agreement, then darted down the fire escape and disappeared into the alley.

**Ami awoke early the next morning to the sound of a light knocking on the door to her hotel room.** Yawning, standing up and throwing a robe on, she walked to the door and opened it, only to come face to face with Lucrezia Marquise.

"Oh…sorry, did I wake you?" the pretty woman smiled sheepishly.

Ami shook her head. "No, I should be getting up anyways. Come in, come in." She walked to the coffeemaker and started the pot, then sat down on her bed. "Was there something you wanted to discuss about the mission, Mrs. Marquise?"

"Please, Lucrezia," she held up her hand, then smirked. "I'm actually used by going by just my last name, but considering that Zechs and I are working together in this instance, Lucrezia will be fine."

"All right then. You can call me Ami as well," the Senshi replied.

"Yes…Ami…" Lucrezia replied, trying the name out. "Well anyways, we wanted to go over a few details on our plan of action with you. Unfortunately, it seems Heero, Duo, and Mariemaia got into a little trouble with a pair of Leute assassins last night, and he's currently trying to arrange for them to get out of the country. I think we should do the same."

"Logical enough. Where do you plan on going?" Ami asked.

"I'd like to stop in Japan for a day or two. My mother lives in Osaka and I have some extra research stored at her house. We've gathered enough information to believe the Leute's base is located on one of the colonies or a selected list of satellites—"

"No. Not a colony," Ami shook her head.

Lucrezia frowned. "Not a colony?"

"Of course not. A satellite, maybe, but…" she sighed. "When I was…at their headquarters, it was located on L2, posing as a hospital. When that cover blew, all of us knew it."

"Us?"

"The Senshi," Ami smiled sadly. "I'm afraid that _we_ are their enemies. To them, the rest of the world is just a minor annoyance to be exterminated. I'm sure that everyone who is now involved with Operation Daybreak is viewed as a threat now, but I think they will always have the most hatred for Serenity and the others."

Lucrezia touched her shoulder reassuringly. "We will stand and fight next to you when the day comes that we must fight, Sailor Mercury. I swear it."

She cocked her head slightly, but said nothing. It was the first time she had been addressed as Sailor Mercury by someone other than a Leute in…well, centuries. And unlike when Wufei had accused her of being the Senshi of Water, she took strength in it.

"Lucrezia…I was never a fighter. Even with the other Senshi, I was the weakest. I'm not a soldier, I'm a strategist. I will do my best to fight with you and your husband, but I would ask that you rely on my experience in other areas on this mission."

The indigo haired woman nodded in understanding. "Sally said you were the smartest person alive. And that was _before_ she knew about your past."

Ami blushed profusely at the compliment as Lucrezia stood up to leave.

"I'll let you shower and get something to eat. If you could come by our room in about an hour…"

"Of course. I'll be there," the short woman answered.

Her companion touched the doorknob, then looked back at her. "Ami…did we ever meet before? It's strange, but I feel as though I know you…"

Ami hesitated. She wondered if the question would come up. "Your maiden name is Noin, isn't it?"

"Yes…"

"Your grandfather was Admiral Robert Noin of the Alliance?"

"Yes! But how did you know?"

She sighed. "I was married to him for a short time. But when the Leute started getting too close, I had to leave him."

"My grandfather…" Lucrezia blinked in surprise, then narrowed her eyes. "He told me you died. That you drowned yourself."

"It was the only way I could keep him safe! If the Leute found him, they would torture him until he told them where I was!" Ami cried, then took a deep breath. "It was hard for both of us, I know. But life went on. He married your grandmother, and had your father. You know where it goes from there."

"I remember him talking about you," she replied, thinking back on it. "I had found a picture of you two together…"

"Is he still alive?" Ami asked quietly.

Lucrezia shook her head sadly. "No. I'm afraid he died when I was sixteen."

"I see…your grandfather was a good man. A very good man. I would sometimes come to South Africa to check in on him," she chuckled softly. "Robert and I would see each other on the street and he would look at me with such familiarity. But by then, he was several years older, I still looked the same. I suppose he thought it was just a ghost, or a trick of the light. He never spoke to me. Not once."

"Did you speak to him?"

"I couldn't. I was still paranoid by the idea that the Leute would find him."

"I see…"

There was silence as the two women looked at each other. Finally, Lucrezia let out a relieved sounding laugh.

"Well, I guess it truly is a small world," she commented.

Ami stared at her in confusion. "You're not…surprised? Upset?"

"No! Why should I be? I've seen things far stranger since this whole thing began," Lucrezia answered. "And why would I be upset to find out I'll be working with a woman my grandfather thought so highly?" Her manner shifted from lighthearted to respectful. "A woman who gave up her happiness to protect him?"

"You're taking this better than I had hoped," Ami replied.

She laughed again. "I'll see you in a while, Ami." With that, she walked out the door.

_Author's Note:_

_This chapter written for Transcendent, without whose prodding this chapter probably would not have gotten finished._


	18. Segment 18

I wish I owned stuff. But I don't.

**Mild Shoujo-ai.**

Segment 18:

The Mad Russian's Adventure

_Summary:_

_ After everyone has left, Setsuna and Usagi discuss the former Queen's activities from the past several years. Quatre tries to convince Dorothy to take a more active role in Operation Daybreak, but she refuses. In an attempt to provoke his anger, she insults Rei and succeeds in evoking a threat from her partner. Later, Rei asks Quatre about his marriage to Dorothy, and he reluctantly tells the story. Heero, Duo, and Mariemaia are attacked at a restaurant and take a sample of the suspicious-looking Leute blood. Lucrezia and Ami discuss their investigation plans, and the conversations changes gears when Ami talks about the romance she'd had with Lucrezia's grandfather._

**The moon was shining exceptionally bright through the windows of the hotel.** Cape Town was rather quiet, at least compared to some of the extremely loud cities like Tokyo, L.A., or New York. But Rini awoke nonetheless when the white hands of the moonlight touched her bare shoulder. Yawning, she sat up and realized that Hotaru was not in bed. Frowning, she threw a short rose-colored silk robe over her pink shorts and camisole, and over to the huge windows at the far end of the room.

Hotaru stood silhouetted against the bright moon in her short lilac chemise with a thin black wrap draped over her shoulders. Her pale face was turned out to the city, towards the ocean. She didn't move when Rini put an arm around her.

"Hey…you all right?" the pink haired woman asked.

"I couldn't sleep," Hotaru answered.

Rini smiled slightly. "So I noticed. Anything wrong?"

"Nothing in particular. Just worried."

"About?"

"Everything."

They sighed. Mariemaia had called earlier that evening and told them about the attack. After discussing it with the reluctant Wufei, the two remaining members of Red Delta decided it would be best to try and find out where those particular Leute that had attacked from, and hopefully locate a nearby stronghold, thus allowing Mariemaia and her team to head to Preventors Headquarters where they could compare some sort of blood sample with others that had been gathered.

"Maia will be all right, Hotaru. She's strong. Stronger than we were at that age. And Duo will look after her," the pink haired woman said.

Hotaru cracked a small grin. "But who will look after Duo?"

"Why do you think Setsuna sent Heero along for?"

They giggled slightly, but the uneasiness was not to be dispersed. Hotaru turned her face back out to the night. "It's not _just_ Maia that I'm worried about. There are other things. Setsuna's son, in particular."

"Jabreel? What about him?"

"Rini," Hotaru looked at her and reached for her hand. "Setsuna told us to look after him if anything happened to her. Why would she tell us that, unless she knew…"

Rini put a finger to Hotaru's lips. "Don't you dare, Hotaru. Don't you dare say that. Don't even _think_ it. Nothing can happen to Puu, you understand? She's not like us. She can't…she can't…"

"No one lives forever, Rini."

Red eyes flashed in the dark as the former princess spun away. "It won't end like that, Hotaru. I won't let it. Neither will my mother. She came back for a reason, Hotaru. She's going to save us." Rini paused. "She always saves us."

"Yes. She does," Hotaru agreed.

Rini sat down on the bed. "I missed her so much, Hotaru. I missed both of my parents. But now Father's dead, and…I feel angry."

The darker girl sat down next to her and put an arm around her. "At your mother or your father?"

"Both, I guess. Not so much at my father. But then again…he didn't _have_ to join the rebellion. I mean, it was stupid to, in theory. Aren't we the same as OZ and the Alliance, Hotaru? We're out for control. So why did he decide to fight against it?"

Hotaru chose her words carefully. "Endymion was very, very intelligent, Rini. I think he saw then what the rest of us see now. There's no point in our fighting for control. Even if we thought Crystal Tokyo was an era of peace, someone must have been suffering somewhere. How else could the Leute have stirred up a rebellion?

"I think your father was done fighting to bring something dead back to life. He fought in the Eve Wars so that the people of this world could be free. So that _we_ could be free, at least from human dictatorship."

Rini looked at her. "Did you see him after he died?"

She nodded. "Only for a few minutes. He didn't speak much. Few ever do. But he said he was glad to be free of the world and all of its problems, and that he would be waiting for you and your mother."

The other girl smiled slightly. "I want to see him again."

"There are still a lot of things we have to do first, Rini."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Save the world and all that jazz," she smirked. "You think we would have figured out how to stop these sorts of things from happening by now, after what, a few millenniums in existence?"

They laughed again softly, before Rini's gaze hardened again. "What I don't understand is why my mother ran of on her own and never bothered to contact anyone. Over a thousand years, and she didn't say one word to me, Hotaru. And today, we had our tearful reunion and all, but she didn't ask to see me or anything."

"Did you want her to?" Hotaru asked.

She bit her lip. "I don't think so."

"You shouldn't feel guilty. Everyone's grown apart, changed in their own ways. Your mother still loves you, but she hasn't really been a mother for a long time. If you think about it, she had to stop being a mother in order to be a good one. If she hadn't, you might have died by now."

White arms snaked around Rini's bare midriff as Hotaru's head rested on her shoulder. "I couldn't bear that, Rini. The day you leave this world is the day I vanish forever."

"Hotaru…" Rini whispered, tilting her head up. Without another word, she brushed a black hair from the girl's face and kissed her lips gently. Breaking away moments later, she whispered in Hotaru's ear. "Is that why you couldn't sleep?"

She nodded. "No one lives forever," she repeated.

"No." Rini agreed, then took Hotaru's wrap and dropped it on the floor before pushing her onto her back. She kissed her again, then looked into her indigo eyes. "But we're both alive tonight, Hotaru. And right now, I am completely in love with you."

The dark haired girl smiled slightly and touched Rini's face. "I love you too. And I will until there's nothing left in the universe."

"That's a pretty long time," she answered.

"Not long enough."

** When Sally entered Venli's hotel room the next morning, **he was talking hurriedly on his cell phone and at first didn't notice her. She waved and leaned against the counter, brushing a brown braid over her shoulder. The writer held up a hand to her, and cracked a small smile.

"Yes sir…I understand. If we could set up a meeting…yes…yes…well, I'll have to see when the earliest we can return is. I believe the Vice President will be willing to discuss this with us as well…yes sir…all right. Thank you very much," he snapped the phone shut and slid it in the pocket of his trenchcoat.

"Well? Who were you talking to?" Sally asked, standing up.

Venli smiled again. "Ivan Nikolaivna, Russia's representative to the World Council. He worked with my brother-in-law, and we've met on several occasions for interviews and such. He wants to meet with us in Saint Petersburg as soon as possible and hear our story."

"Alex that's great!" she cried, standing up. "You know how those World Council people are…if we can get them to believe this, than we might just have a chance to convincing the rest of the world before we're all blown to kingdom come."

He nodded. "I also think it would be a good idea to try and meet with him tomorrow at the latest. If we can convince him, he can stand with us when the Vice President makes her statement in Brussels."

The Preventor paused. "She wanted to make it as soon as possible. We made arrangements for a shuttle today."

Venli's face fell. "Can't you convince her to put it off until we have more support? Ivan said he was sure he could get some other countries to listen, but we'd have to act fast. There are some things at my apartment in Volgograd I'd like to have when we speak with them. Pictures of Aethrin, letters from my sister, research from my investigation…"

"Well, we can tr—"

The phone on the nightstand suddenly rang. The two looked at each other, then Sally walked over and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Sally? It's Relena."

"Relena? We were just talking about you. Listen—"

"No time. Sally, I received a threatening phone call this morning. I think it was a Leute. Whoever it was talked the same way they do, in that monotone, you know?"

"Wait a minute, slow down. What time was this?" Sally looked at her watch. It was 10:30 AM.

"Well, I got a call at about 6:15, but I'm not sure if that was a Leute or not. No one spoke, and there wasn't any breathing or anything. They just hung up after about a minute. Then at 8:00, right after I got out of the shower, I got another call. The person said "We've found you, Relena Peacecraft. And now you're all alone." I didn't know what to do, but I knew I had to run. I'm at the airport right now. I've got a flight to Brussels arriving in ten minutes. I just want you to know so you and Mr. Venli can meet me there."

"What? Relena, no! Don't go anywhere by yourself! Are you crazy?" Sally cried.

When Relena answered, her voice was shaky. "They want to kill me, Sally. I can't stay. I'm sorry. Please contact me as soon as you arrive in Brussels."

With that, the Earth Sphere Vice President hung up.

Sally slammed the phone down. "God damn it! What the hell is she thinking?"

Venli put a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

She looked back. "The Leute have her spooked. She's running to Brussels. And I'd bet everything I own it's a trap."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

His green eyes hardened behind his glasses. "We can't follow her then."

"We can't just let her die! She practically runs the whole world, Alex!" Sally answered.

"The Leute are not going to kill her, Sally. They didn't kill Roderick Bailey. Not right away, anyways. And what good would it do for us just to follow her? If the Leute _are_ planning something, do you really think you and I alone can stop them?" Venli asked.

She sighed. He was right. "What do you think we should do then?"

"Warn the others. Go to Volgograd, then onto Saint Petersburg. If necessary, we can always catch a plane from there. And we have to be extra careful ourselves," the Russian smiled slightly. "Unfortunately, we are only human. Legendary powers are a bit out of our league."

Comforted by his lightheartedness, Sally grinned back. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

"It's appreciated."

**Relena tried to sleep as her plane neared the Brussels Capitol Transport Center,** but to no avail. The phone calls from that morning had her terrified, and the fact that (whatever others may say) Relena Dorlian Peacecraft did _not_ scare easily scared her even more.

She hadn't told Sally everything before she left. Oh sure, she told her about the two phone calls, but she didn't tell her everything that was said in the second one. The image kept replaying itself in her head, like a movie.

She had stepped out of the bathroom in her penthouse suite dressed in a clean white robe embroidered with the hotel's logo. She was planning on meeting with Sally and Alexander Venli after she dressed so they could plan out their next move.

The phone rang.

"Hello? Relena Dorlian speaking," Relena answered in her confident voice.

"Hello Relena."

She didn't recognize the voice, but she recognized the tone. It was flat and dead. The voice of a computer spoken through a child's mouth.

"Who is this?"

"You know who this is."

She inhaled slowly and closed her eyes. "What do you want?"

"This is a warning to you. We've found you Relena Peacecraft, and now you're all alone. But we're just the first. Soon they'll all know."

"Know what?"

"You're putting yourself in a dangerous position, Relena. Your baby as well."

Relena's blue-gray eyes snapped open. "What?"

"You're very brave. A fool, but a brave fool. What will your bravery do to your child, Relena, if you find yourself in the torturer's chair? What's more, what will your bravery do to your child if it lives? I wonder…"

"Stop it. Stop it right now!"

The voice laughed, and it sent shivers down her spine. "I'll make a deal with you Relena. Stay where you are, and no one will ever have to know about your little mistake. You'll both be dead by noon."

The line went dead then, and Relena had dropped the phone and screamed. Dressing quickly, she called her bodyguards and arranged for a private flight to Brussels. She made it to the airport without any trouble, and so far there didn't seem to be any difficulty with the plane. She could even see the airport now, where another escort would be waiting.

Relena took a deep breath. It would be fine. Everything would be fine.

But subconsciously, her hands traced down over her still-fairly-flat stomach. She had found out she was one month pregnant at the beginning of the month. In fact, she found out on the exact day Lita Kino went missing. And there was only one person who could be the father…

"Heero…" she murmured softly. He had appeared in her room on New Year's Eve. She didn't know how he got in, and she didn't care. He was _there_. And even though he hardly spoke to her, he made love to her until the early hours of the new year. By the time the sun rose, he was gone. And they had never spoken of it since.

It didn't seem like it would stay that way for long. The child…her child…_their_ child, would not remain a secret one spring arrived and she started to show. How would Heero react? As much as she loved him, Relena was certain that he was _not_ the fathering type. But he would still protect them both, and do all he could for them. Still…she wondered. For all the puzzles Heero was, his child could only be even more enigmatic.

That was why she had put off involving herself as long as she could. She didn't want to risk hurting herself or her child in the time of Earth's greatest need. It was selfish, she knew, but damn it, didn't she have a right to be selfish? She had been lied to for the first fifteen years of her life, and had spent the next ten sacrificing everything for the world. And what did she get in return? A bunch of fingers pointed at her for taking away Earth's only defenses from an enemy that sounded too science fiction to be real.

"Ms. Vice President? We're landing now," her stewardess said, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Oh, thank you," she answered, fastening her seat belt. She closed her eyes again as she felt the plane touch down and tried to reassure herself.

_Everything will be fine. It will all be all right._

The plane slowed, and finally stopped. Relena looked out the window and watched the corridor extend out to the plane's door, then stood up and gathered her briefcase. Her two bodyguards stood on either side of her as they walked out.

The first thing she noticed when she entered the waiting area was that it was cold. The second thing she noticed was that it was completely empty. Not just the waiting area; the entire _concourse_ was deserted. And silent. The hairs on the back of her neck began to rise.

"What's going on here?" she whispered.

One of her bodyguard's opened his mouth to answer, but instead of words there was a bang and a spurt of blood rushed out and spattered across her face and white blouse. She screamed as he fell over dead. The other guard immediately jumped in front of her and pulled a gun of his own, but before he could fire there was another shot that went straight through his head and out the back. Luckily, he was at least a foot taller than the politician and the spray of blood shot clean over her head.

Ducking out behind him, Relena came face to face with a tall young woman with black hair and dead black eyes. A Leute stood on either side of her. She gasped as the woman's arms shot out and gripped her in a vice-like hold. For a few moments, she struggled, then cringed as she felt something crack in her shoulders. Relaxing slightly, Relena allowed the woman to turn her to face a familiar red haired Leute.

"Hello Miss Relena. Did you have a good flight?" Aethrin asked.

"What do you want?" she hissed.

Aethrin's mouth curled up in a cynical smile. "You cause too many problems, Relena. But you're valuable both to the Earth's government and Setsuna's people. For now, you'll make a good hostage. And later…"

"Later what?" Relena whispered.

The Leute reached up and touched her cheek with its soft hand. "You know, Relena." Suddenly, he drew his hand away and slapped her across the cheek.

"Take her."

**It was still cold in Volgograd.** As far as Sally was concerned, it was _always_ cold in Volgograd. She wondered how Venli could live there. Or if he still would. After all, as she looked around his still-trashed apartment, it didn't look very livable. The windows were broken, there were papers scattered everywhere, furniture was smashed; the only redeeming factor was that someone (probably another one of Setsuna's "people") had gotten rid of the corpse that had been their would-be assassin after they found Heero.

But it was almost as if Venli was used to living in conditions like this. He was searching through the debris methodically, finding several papers and photos he needed buried amidst the refuse. There was even a computer disk that had remained whole and unscratched underneath the overturned couch. All of this he gathered and put in the briefcase Sally had gotten for him before they left South Africa.

"Are you finding everything you need?" she asked, sweeping away a pile of glass from the window.

He laughed bitterly. "Everything I need? I should think not. Half of the things I need the little bastards stole. I'm just taking what I can use."

Sally's expression remained solemn as she knelt down next to him. "Did they take anything from your sister?"

"Almost everything. I can't find her letters, I only found a couple of photos of her, and barely any of this," he held up the briefcase, "mentions "Aaron"."

"I'm sorry."

He sighed. "Anya was the only family I had left, and it's not likely she would have given any of this to her husband's family. And it's not just that they've stolen things that are vital proof to our story, but…they're all I had left of her. They didn't just kill Anya, they _erased_ her."

Sally put an arm around him. "I know. They tried to do the same thing to Lita. But that's why we have to fight back against them, right? Don't you want to make them pay, Alex?"

He nodded and narrowed his eyes. "Very much. Very, _very_ much. Excuse me," he stood up. "I'm going to go look in the bedroom."

"All right. I'll keep looking for things out here."

"Very well."

Sally looked out the window. It was getting dark, and the breeze was picking up. A flurry of papers suddenly picked up, and she leapt to her feet to try and grab them all. She managed to catch most of them and was putting them beneath a piece of glass when someone held out another small pile.

"You forgot these."

She looked up to see a Leute sitting on the edge of the window. Dropping the papers, she pulled a gun, but before she could fire the Leute knocked it out of her hand.

"That won't do you any good. And I'm not here to kill you. Not yet, anyways," it said, then drew out a gun of its own. "But I'm not going to take any risks if you get aggressive with me, okay?"

Sally tilted her head slightly. There was something strange about this Leute. It still had the black eyes, and the short hair (brown, this one). But the way it spoke was different. Rather than the uniform monotone of the other Leute she had encountered, this one spoke normally, in an almost friendly fashion. It was taller, and surprisingly, dressed like a girl, in a teal turtleneck sweater, knee-length denim jumper, white tights, and little black boots. And it was smiling, not in the typical dead grin of most Leute, but a scheming little smirk.

"What do you want?"

"There's trouble in Brussels. I don't really think you should be poking around here," the Leute said. "You and your friend really ought to go help the Vice President before Aethrin does something unpleasant to her."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you telling me this? Are you with the Kentauros Institute?"

The Leute laughed. "Me? Kentauros? Don't be silly. I, for one, don't have a death wish." It hopped down off the window and strode casually towards her. "Nope. I'm with Eljira on this one. My name's Iy."

"All right, Iy, why are you telling me this?"

"Because, Miss Po, we share a common enemy. We want Aethrin dead. Isn't that right, Mr. Venli?"

The Leute's only answer was a second gunshot. And although Iy had obviously been aware of Venli's presence, it hadn't know about the .45 he was carrying and used to send the Leute's own gun flying backwards out the window.  
Iy's smile disappeared. "Ungrateful. It's not becoming."

"Get the hell out of here," Venli whispered dangerously, taking a step forward.

The Leute pulled an envelope out of the front of its jumper. "After that stunt, you hardly deserve this, but here," Iy threw it at him. "and _you_ get the hell out, and get to the Capitol Transport Center. Or it'll be your fault Relena Dorlian ended up like Roderick Bailey."

"What?"

It smirked again, then turned and jumped out the window. Sally and Venli ran to the edge, but the Leute was gone.

"What the hell…?" he looked at her.

She shrugged. "I have no idea. But it said Relena was in trouble."

"We knew that."

"We have to help her."

"I know." Without another word, Venli opened up the envelope Iy had thrown at him. Opening it, he gasped. Photos of a pretty woman with maroon hair and green eyes holding Aethrin fell out. As did several handwritten letters and even what looked like photocopies of adoption papers.

"Wow…" Sally murmured. "I guess Santa is a Leute."

"Maybe…but I doubt it would have given us these if it didn't want us to hurry up with saving Relena. Which makes me wonder what it really wants."

"Well, it doesn't like Aethrin any more than you do."  
"And I wonder why?"

"Who cares? The point is, if we've got what we came for, we really do need to "get the hell out of here." But first I've got one question."

"What?"

Sally pointed at his .45. "Where'd that come from?"

The spectacled man colored slightly. "During the war ten years ago, I was a war correspondent. I learned rather quickly that if you plan to go to war, even just to observe, you'd better have something to keep you safe."

She nodded. "That's very true, Alex. Very true."

** When one first laid eyes upon Russian World Council Representative Ivan Nikolaivna, **the first thing one might think of would be a brick wall. Standing almost seven feet tall and close to three hundred pounds, he was one of the hugest men Sally had ever seen. However, he had a friendly face and a firm disposition, and she got the feeling the he would only hurt a fly if it _really_ pissed him off.

"Alexander…so good to see you again," the representative greeted him as the pair walked into his large office. He shook Venli's hand firmly, then turned to Sally. "And your lovely friend?"

"Sally Po. I'm with the Preventors Department of Investigation," she explained, gripping his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nikolaivna."

"I only wish it were under better circumstances," the man frowned, then turned to Venli. "While I'm anxious to see your information, I'm afraid a crisis has come up. I was notified in the last hour that Brussels has been blockaded and is under lockdown."

"What?" the writer blinked. "Why?"

"The official statement from Belgium's representative to the World Council is that several of those…well, spacecrafts, I suppose you could call them…that attacked the that shuttle last week landed not outside the city. Everyone's seen the footage of the Roderick Bailey assassination, and if we know anything, we at least know that whatever these Leute are, they are dangerous. No one is allowed on the streets, planes and cars aren't being allowed in, and the police are patrolling the streets."

"Have there been any actual attacks?" Sally asked.

Nikolaivna shook his head. "No. That's why I'm worried. Because besides that, electricity has been cut throughout most of the city, as have most communication lines. The people there are stuck inside a little black box. We're seeing everything they aren't. What's worse is that several important political figures gathered there when the heard the Vice President wanted to make a statement within the next few days."

Venli paled and looked at Sally. "The trap…"

She clenched her fists. "Vice President Dorlian left for the CTC from South Africa early yesterday morning. Is there any way of knowing if she landed?"

"All we know is that the last commercial flight landed at the CTC at 1:00 PM yesterday. The blockade went into full effect around 3:00 PM. I heard that a spy plane flying over about an hour later saw a small plane on the runway, but there's no record on the radar."

"There wouldn't be; those jets provided to cabinet members are masked so they won't be seen by passing planes," Sally explained.

"Then, assuming there was no human error, there is a good chance Vice President Dorlian did land," he answered.

"Ivan, who else was supposed to be in Brussels?" Venli asked.

"Besides Relena Dorlian? The Secretary of State, several colonial senators and representatives, various people from the press, the Speaker of the House, and the President. However, we do know that the President is not in Brussels at this time."

"Where is she?"

"That hasn't been disclosed."

Sally sat down hard. "Damn it…it's gotta be the Leute. It's probably like they had it with Bailey."

"You mean controlling those in power? I don't doubt it," Nikolaivna replied. "The only question is, what is to be done?"

"That depends on how much time we have," Venli said. "What is your guess, Sally?"

"They haven't made any statements or ultimatums, have they?" she asked Nikolaivna. He shook his head.

She sighed. "Then we should assume that everyone in Brussels could be dead within the next five minutes."

"We need to act quickly, in other words," Venli said.

"It wouldn't be such a problem if we hadn't disbanded the military. However, where there is a fight, there are always those willing to fight," Nikolaivna walked over to his desk and pulled out a large stack of paper, then dropped it on top. Sally picked up the top sheet. It was a list of names, phone numbers, and addresses.

"What are these?" she asked.

The large man smiled. "Former members of the Russian military. Now, I must admit that about 60 of those people are either dead, missing, missing vital body parts, in the middle of Siberia, or have no intention of fighting. But…" he picked up the top two thirds of the stack. The remainder was still quite staggering, however. "As you can see, that still leaves us with a good strong force."

"How soon can you have something gathered?" Sally asked.

"Give me two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Venli cried. "Ivan, didn't you hear her? She said five minutes!"

Nikolaivna held up his hand. "I realize that. However, it was Relena Dorlian that wanted to make a statement, yes?"

"Yes…"

"In other words, she is a part of something the rest of us don't know about. Except for you, perhaps, yes Alex?"

He hesitated. "Yes…but it's a bit of a long story…"

The other man held up one large hand. "I needn't hear it now. What I propose is this: after the Armistice, several historical pieces of machinery were saved and placed in the Hermitage near the Winter Palace. Among the collection is a pair of attack choppers. I suggest you take at least one, go to Brussels with a team of a dozen or less, and rescue the Vice President. From there…"

He paused, as if he were a bit uncomfortable with the idea. But he didn't need to speak it. Sally frowned.

"You want _us_ to use Relena as a hostage for the Leute, right? A bargaining chip?"

"They did not give us an ultimatum, so after you save her you should give them one. Tell them to keep the people of Brussels safe for twenty days, and that you will hand her over then. With any luck, I will have an army for you with a week to spare."

"And if not?"

"Might I suggest Yakustk? It's somewhere between here, hell, and the Pacific Ocean. No one would ever find you there," Nikolaivna replied.

There was an awkward silence, followed by a burst of uneasy laughter. Afterwards, his face became serious and he put one beefy arm around each of them. "It was no joke, friends. Now be gone. Time is a precious commodity we have none of."

Sally nodded. "Yes. Thank you so much for all your help, Mr. Nikolaivna."

He smiled. "Don't let Alex be killed. He's a talented sharpshooter under pressure, but a slow runner."

Venli muttered a curse in his native tongue at the large man, and they both laughed. Sally rolled her eyes.

"Men."

** "Are you frightened, Relena?" **the woman asked.

She looked up at her captor's dead eyes with a stern expression on her face. "No," she answered, but nevertheless she found herself squirming against the bonds that tied her to the chair. Outside the control tower, it was growing dark, but the lights of the city still hadn't come on.

The woman smiled slightly. "A pity. Sometimes fear can help survival tactics kick in."

Relena thrust her chin out proudly. "I'm not afraid to die. I never have been."

"Now you see, that is a _wonderful _attitude. I wish all of your kind were brave enough to look death in the eye like you. It would make it much easier for us to exterminate you," Aethrin commented, walking in. The Leute nodded to its human servant, who bowed back and kept her gun pointed at the vice president.

Not to be perturbed, she looked Aethrin in the eye. "Do we really disgust you so that you need to kill us all? Is there no way we can just make peace and share this world?"

The Leute narrowed its eyes. "This isn't just about the crimes you committed against us, human. It is time for your race to come to an end because if it does not, this entire world will be destroyed."

"Destroyed?"

"Yes! Look at yourselves! You rape and abuse your Earth for centuries, and then when it can give you no more, you abandon her and turn to space. In all of your egotism you believe it is your right to build there and spread your virus as far as possible. And when you fight amongst yourselves, you wage wars and create weapons that could bring it all down on your heads!" Aethrin spat back. "If you want to know the truth, it's a marvel you've lasted this long."

Relena wasn't sure what to say. Because the Leute was right in every point it made. But these past ten years…the efforts she had put forth…they had to count for _something_, didn't they? She thought of all of the national parks and refuges that had been set up. And the Armistice, although it was a problem now, had kept new wars from breaking out between the people of Earth. And as for the colonies…well, as far as she was concerned, humans _did_ have the right to build in space. Everyone did.

"You're not God," she whispered.

Aethrin glared at her. "We have evolved past the concept of "god," Relena Dorlian."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You can pray all you like," the Leute hissed. It strode forward and in one swift pull, broke the roped that tied her down. Seizing her shoulder, it threw her to her knees. "In fact, pray right now. And you'll see. There is no god to save you now."

She was about to raise her head when she felt the barrel of a gun press into the back of her neck.

"There's no one to save you now," Aethrin hissed, then pulled the trigger.

The blast was deafening.

Relena rolled to the side as she felt shattering glass shower over her back. She was dimly aware of Aethrin's guard screaming, and then the pounding of feet. Someone grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to her feet.

"Are you all right, Relena?" a familiar voice answered.

"Sally!" Relena cried, looking at her friend. "How did you get here?"

"Thank Alex's friend," the Preventor motioned towards the shattered windows. A rope ladder hung down, and a bespectacled man with maroon hair with a gun hung off. Relena recognized him as Sally's friend, the Russian journalist and the brother of the woman who killed Lita Kino.

"Please Miss Vice President! We have to hurry!" he called. A second later, the door the control room broke down and revealed a group of Leute fighting armed men and women in black uniforms.

"Come on!" Sally cried. She gripped Relena's hand tightly and shot at one of the Leute trying to fight its way into the room. Taking a deep, quick breath, they dashed across the room and grabbed onto the ladder.

The vice president followed Venli up into the body of the chopper, but Sally hung back. She could see Aethrin crouching beneath one of the computer stations, glaring up at her murderously. Narrowing her eyes, she aimed her gun and fired.

But the Leute's catlike reflexes were still sharp, and it quickly jumped out and slipped through the doorway.

"Sally!" Venli yelled.

She looked up at him and nodded. "Everyone! Pull back now!" she yelled, and climbed the ladder. Once she was safely on, the door slammed behind her.

"Are you all right?" Sally looked at Relena. She had a bruise on one cheek and appeared a little bewildered, but otherwise none the worse for wear.

"I'm fine. What about you two?" she answered.

Venli smiled slightly. "Well, it's the first time I've ever hung out of a helicopter, I'll say that much."

"Are the rest of the people who came…?"

"There's another chopper on the roof near one of the concourses. Now that they know you're safe, they'll follow us out," Sally explained

"But what about the rest of the city?"

"We've got an army on the way. They'll be here in two weeks." Venli said.

Relena's eyes widened. "An army? From where?"

Sally smiled grimly. "From a place where people who aren't going to give up without a fight."

"Is that where we're going?"

"Yes. We'll pull back to St. Petersburg and let Setsuna know what happened. Hopefully, Ivan's helping us get a stronghold there," the writer answered.

The vice president was quiet for a moment, then looked at her saviors. "This is truly a war then, isn't it?"

Sally nodded. "I'm afraid so."

"Then if war is upon us…" Relena's fists clenched and she turned to look out the window at the darkness of Brussels.

"We will do everything we can to win it."


	19. Segment 19

Although it has been several months, I am yet to obtain the rights to the anime. Thus, I own nothing.

Segment 19:

Sweet Child Of Mine

_Summary:_

_Rini and Hotaru are concerned about Setsuna's ominous mood, as well as Serenity's sudden reappearance. Rini in particular is worried and a little resentful about the long absence, and also reminisces about her father. The two also wonder about what is it become of Setsuna's son, Jabreel, as well as each other. The next day, Relena receives a threatening phone call from the Leute and flees to Brussels, only to find herself caught in a trap. Sally and Venli set out on a rescue mission, and the journalist reveals a little bit about his past as well as his good connections. With the help of Russia's representative to the World Council, plans for the gathering of an army to combat the Leute are made. Back at Venli's apartment, he and Sally are confronted by a new Leute, a very feminine one calling itself Iy, who also appears to have a personal vendetta against the assassin Aethrin. Iy tells them about Relena's capture, then gives Venli key evidence regarding Aethrin. In Brussels, Aethrin confronts Relena about being pregnant with Heero's child, and she reluctantly admits. However, before she can suffer any serious damage, Sally and Venli arrive with an attack chopper and rescue her._

**They did not look any different than the other pairs of honeymooning couples meandering down Rome's beautiful ancient streets and monuments. **However, Trowa and Une were hardly vacationing as they walked past the other tourists speaking a multitude of languages. In fact, although they strolled hand in hand, their eyes were constantly watching for any signs of odd children accompanied by even stranger adults. However, for once it actually appeared that they were free of Leute trails. Ever since they had left Cape Town, they had not had one moment alone. It was rather strange though, because although there had been Leute aplenty, they had not been nearly as aggressive as those they had met in the past. Mostly they just watched, maybe gave them a strange look. But none attacked (though one did bump rather hard into Trowa's side while pretending to be playing a game of tag with another Leute. Luckily, nothing had been stolen).

"I don't like this. At all. It's been this way ever since we came home," Une commented. Trowa nodded at his partner. Since returning to Italy, there had been hardly any sightings at all. This was the frustration, because Leute were exactly what the pair was looking for. And though Dahlia had left them with plenty of information on the Kentauros Institute, even providing them with a very nice map, they were having quite a bit of trouble actually locating the facility. Mostly because, according to the map, it was located on a square that didn't even exist, unless it was hidden beneath the Tiber River (and after several diving expeditions, they had come to the conclusion that it wasn't).

As they walked onto the bridge over the river, Trowa stared into the depths of the waters. "Maybe she lied to us," he suggested flatly.

Lady Une tilted her head and looked at him. "Do you think she did?"

"No."

She nodded and looked back down into the river. "I don't think she did either. It's not like a Leute to flat out lie. They _pretend_ to be human children, but besides that…I don't know. Actual verbal dishonesty seems like something they would look down on. Something _human_."

"So where the hell is this place then? You think something happened to it?"

"I hope not. Not just for our sakes either," Lady Une replied softly.

Trowa looked at her. "You liked her, didn't you? Dahlia."

A sad smile crossed the former colonel's face. "What can I say? She was our "daughter," wasn't she? I guess it just reminded me of Mariemaia, and how I lost her. And she reminded me of Treize, and how I lost…" Une trailed off and looked up to see a slightly stony look in Trowa's eyes. Only rarely did she mention her former lover and common-law husband. She wouldn't have guessed Trowa to be the type of man to get jealous, and maybe he wasn't. But she did know that he got even more quiet than usual when she mentioned Treize's name, and she even wondered if his coolness towards Mariemaia came from the fact that she had raised Treize's daughter as her own. Well, either way, he would have to accept her past. It was the only way the old OZ leader would stay dead.

_Then again, he's probably turning over in his grave. His wife is sleeping with one Gundam pilot, and his daughter another._

The thought almost made Lady Une smile, but she had the feeling Trowa would not appreciate it. She shook her head and put her arm around his shoulders, giving him a reassuring squeeze. He reached up and put his hand over hers, but said nothing.

"Ah, so this is what you two have been doing while the rest of us are working our asses off. Really, I expected better of you both," a cynical voice commented. A younger couple walked across the bridge towards them. The man was dressed in khaki shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and wore sunglasses and a bright red baseball cap over his head, but that didn't hide the long chestnut braid hanging down his back. And his girlfriend, a pretty little gal in some kind of designer sundress and sexy black pumps could hide her bright pink pageboy no easier.

Trowa raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here Duo? And where's Heero?"

"At the airport, probably pissed at us because we missed our flight," Duo replied cheerfully, lowering his sunglasses, "because you see—"

Before he could explain, Mariemaia strode over to Lady Une, reached inside her purse and pulled out a cell phone. Shaking it at the older woman, she threw off her sunglasses and glared daggers at her. "If you're going to have a phone with you, turn the damn thing on, will you? We've been trying to call you for hours now, for Christ's sake! What the hell is the matter with you?"

It was Lady Une's turn to raise an eyebrow. However, she had to hide a look of amusement at Trowa. But the Gundam pilot was not amused. Seeing Mariemaia's temper unleashed reminded him all too well of her mother's family, the Bartons. And having just freed himself from the thoughts of her father's side, it was disconcerting to find himself wondering just how much bad blood was in the girl. Between Treize Khushrenada and Trowa and Dekim Barton…

His partner sensed his thoughts, and spoke before he got the chance. "I never turn my phone off Mariemaia."

"No? It sure doesn't look very energetic to me!" she snapped. Lady Une calmly took the phone from her former daughter's hand and examined it. Indeed, it did appear to have somehow gotten turned off. She frowned and turned it on. Sure enough, there had indeed been several calls that morning, all from Duo. Shaking her head, she put the phone back in her purse, pulling it out a second later to check that it was indeed on.

"I'm sorry. I was not aware. It will not happen again."

It sounded as though she were an intern apologizing to her boss for breaking the coffee machine, when in fact Lady Une knew that Mariemaia was the one out of line in the situation. She couldn't quite understand what had caused the outburst, unless something urgent was at hand.

Duo patted Mariemaia on the back and stepped forward. "You'll have to excuse her. I think Maia's feeling a little under the weather today," he explained, then looked at Trowa and mouthed the words "time of the month." Mariemaia noticed, and punched him in the arm. Grimacing a moment, Duo rubbed his shoulder and continued. "We've got a little present for you. Something we picked up in Cape Town. Maia, darling, if you would be so kind…"

She rolled her eyes and drew a small vial out of her purse, then handed it to Trowa. It contained about ten or so milliliters of some kind of green liquid. He examined it a moment, before passing it to Lady Une. "What is it?" he asked.

"Leute blood," Mariemaia answered. "As expected, we were attacked that night after the meeting."

Lady Une held the vial up to the light. "But…all the Leute we've encountered in the past has been purple. This here…"

Duo nodded. "Exactly. Makes no sense. But I'll tell you this. The guys that came after us at the restaurant were tougher than the others. A lot faster, and a lot harder to kill. Heero soaked this stuff up in a napkin and played with it for a few days, but didn't get anywhere. So, we're hoping you guys, what with going off to play with your little Leute friends—"

"Have you found anything yet?" Mariemaia cut in.

Trowa shook his head. "No. We have to re-examine our information, we think."

"I see," she replied shortly.

"Anyhow," Duo put his arm around Mariemaia's waist. "We ought to be going now. So much time, so little to do and all that shit. Plus we get to go deal with Heero now. But anyways, you guys take care of yourselves, contact us if you need anything. And Une?" he winked. "Keep your phone on, babe."

"Duo," Trowa said.

"Yeah?"

"Don't call her babe."

"Gotcha. See ya around!" he waved cheerfully, leading Mariemaia away. The girl didn't even look back their way as they vanished into an alley, leaving Trowa and Lady Une alone again on the bridge.

**"Maia?" **Duo's voice was soft as the pair climbed into their rental car. Mariemaia glanced towards him, apparently without a care or thought hidden behind her dark sunglasses. Her partner, on the other hand, looked far more concerned than she was used to, worried even. It was a little confusion. For once, it looked as though the ex-Gundam pilot was serious about something.

"Hm? What is it?" Mariemaia answered, turning to stare straight ahead down the winding street.

Duo turned sharply and got on the freeway, heading for the spaceport. "Are you okay? You've been…well…acting weird lately, I guess. Just want to make sure everything's all right with you."

She shrugged, with what seemed an exaggerated amount of nonchalance. "I'm fine," Mariemaia answered shortly. "Just under a lot of stress lately. You know how it is. I might have picked up a bug or something along the way too."

_"Something," is more like it, I think. But what is it? What are you hiding from me, Mariemaia Khushrenada?_ Duo thought. In the pit of his stomach, something wrenched tightly. Although he and Mariemaia had mostly stuck together ever since receiving their assignment, there had been the few incidents when they were separated. And during those times…could she have come in contact with a Leute? A Leute that might have found her more useful alive than dead?

He didn't dare confront Mariemaia about it, and definitely not Heero. Know his colleague, he would probably blow the whole thing out of proportion and have her locked up. And that was one thing Duo did not want to see happen. Not only was Mariemaia useful as a spy, but in the past month since he had met her he found himself growing more and more fond and affectionate towards her. And it wasn't just the great sex they sometimes slipped in at completely random moments. He liked lots of other thing about her, the "important things" as Hilde had called them. Mariemaia had a wonderful laugh, and a sharp mind. But she also had that protective sense, that fierce will to hold on to everything. When Rini was falling apart after seeing her mother being tortured, Mariemaia had been there, supporting her.

Duo wondered if, given time and assuming neither of them were killed by Leute, he could end up loving Mariemaia Khushrenada. He knew it would be strange. There was, after all, almost an eight year age difference. She was barely even an adult. She was mature for a kid, in a _lot_ of ways. But she was a kid, nonetheless. Or was she? Maybe she stopped being a kid when she first decided to follow her grandfather's plans and take over the world. Still though…she didn't turn out too bad. At least, he didn't think so.

Mariemaia sighed. "I've always had kind of a weak constitution. Ever since the end of the revolution, when Dekim…when…I had my accident." A shiver ran down her back as she again saw the gun pointed towards her, Dekim silhouetted against the giant blank video screen like some fairy tale monster. She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'll go to the doctor once we get to L2, okay? I promise." Looking towards him, she gave him her best smile.

Duo smiled back. "All I can ask, I guess." He reached over and gave her knee a gentle squeeze. "But 'til then, you just take it easy, okay? Let me and Heero handle the tough-guy stuff. Just until we know what's wrong with you."

She rolled her eyes, but kept smiling. "All right, all right. You've got yourself a deal."

"Thanks babe."

But in all reality, Mariemaia had a gut feeling about what was wrong with her. Her period was now almost three weeks late. And the only person she'd slept with in the past two months was currently sitting next to her driving at a speed that was probably unsafe for most people. Biting her lip, she stared down at her stomach. Of course, everything looked normal. For all she knew, she could be fine. Biological clock playing tricks on her…right?

She sincerely hoped so. In her line of work, getting pregnant was simply _not_ an option. Mariemaia sighed slightly. She'd go see that doctor when they got to L2 like she'd promised. If worst came to worst, she'd do whatever she had to in order to make sure the world was safe, even if it meant losing a child. _Her_ child. Another shiver made her cross her arms over her chest. Now there was a fear _almost_ worse than looking your own death in the eye.

Almost.

**"Duo, Duo, Duo, Duo, Duo, Duo…wait a minute…what the hell?"** Lady Une frowned as she looked over the list of received calls on her phone. She and Trowa were back at their hotel for the night, having just finished yet another day's worth of fruitless searching in the city. After picking at supper, they had settled down with a couple of cocktails Trowa had made with the alcohol provided in the mini-bar to review the day. Recalling Mariemaia's hissy fit about the cell phone, Lady Une had gone through and begun the task of deleting all of the voice mails. All of them were from either Duo or Mariemaia, and one had even been from Heero, she saw towards the middle (he was asking if they'd seen either of his then-missing team members). But at the very bottom, before Duo had even made his first call, there was a strange listing.

Walking over, Trowa bent over the back of the couch to look at the phone's minute display screen. He too frowned. Where there should have been a name displayed, all that was read was

UNKNOWN CALLER

which wasn't too strange. What was really odd was the number the call had been made from.

«­ª§¤¯»»¿¬¬¬ˇ˘˜ξ‡‡•†•†›₣₣≈∞☺☺☺☻☻☻♠♀♂♂☼

It was, in short, a list of completely random symbols. Trowa thought it might have been code, but there wasn't any sort of pattern to it, at least, not to the naked eye. So that meant the number had probably just been scrambled. He looked at his partner. She hesitated a moment, then played it.

At first, all they heard was silence. Then the sound of a soft voice singing.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word, Mama's gonna buy you a bloody sword. And when that sword is broke in two, it's off to Hell for me and you…"

This chilling melody, spoken in the child's voice that was just too sinister to belong to a human. Heavy breathing quickly followed, as did the sound of loud footsteps, then a moment of silence before a thunderous crash. Finally, there was one final word.

"Troy."

There was a click as the voice mail ended. The automated voice with the customary "No Further Messages" came after, and Une lowered the phone. Her brown eyes focused on Trowa as she closed the phone and put it in her jacket pocket.

"Leute," she stated.

"No question."

"Dahlia?"

He shook his head. "No. She's not theatrical like that. She wouldn't have bothered with that song. And the running, and the jumping—that's what it sounded like, right?—that would take someone in better shape than she was in. Remember, Daara's a scholar, not a soldier."

"Right," Lady Une recalled, thinking back upon that morning when she had awoke on her kitchen floor with Trowa holding a wet cloth to her forehead and telling her Dahlia had taken off running. "So who do you think it was? And what did they mean by Troy?"

"I don't know. A contact maybe?"

"Not impossible. How the hell are we supposed to find someone with only a first name though? It's not a common name in this part, Troy, but still…"

Trowa paused. "But what if it's not a person?"

Une stared at him, confused for a moment. But just as quickly as it had occurred to him, the answer soon hit her as well. "You mean it's a place? The Ancient City of Troy?" He nodded, and something else occurred to her. "Troy…a place where the great heroes of Greek mythology came to battle…heroes that were trained by the centaur Chiron…the centaur…"

Their eyes suddenly went over the edge of the bridge, to the supposed location of their target.

"_Kentauros?"_

**Daara Mnymar's life had not been easy since it had left the "protection" of Trowa Barton and Lady Une. **Upon returning to the Kentauros Institute, it had been questioned severely, accused of being a traitor. Only it's boss and teacher, an old Leute (though it only looked about twelve) named Albeht Orrphi had stood up for it, and kept it from being exiled and left out for Eljira to kill.

Even so, hardly any trusted it anymore. Instead of being relocated into a different family, Daara was being kept on as Albeht's personal assistant, out of sight and out of mind. That is, except for the mind of the old scientist. Orrphi had always been very liberal when it came to matters of coexistence with the humans, and it was because of its influence that Daara had gotten at least the _ability_ to respect humans (though the only one it did hold in esteem was Trowa). But in these past few weeks, Albeht had been confiding in Daara, sharing a plan that was extremely dangerous, one that put the entire institute in danger.

And yet, Albeht claimed, it could also save the institute, if all went well.

The problem that had arisen most recently revolved around the Medusae, the Leute elite. With the resistance against Eljira growing stronger, the Leute leader was now appealing to them, and had even won one over as his new general. After Aethrin had failed and allowed the members of the Russian military (along with that damn Preventor and the writer) to rescue the Vice President, he had been swiftly and publicly (at least in the Leute world) executed. In his place now was the most infamous of the assassin Medusae, Iy.

Now _there _was a strange Leute. Unlike the regular ones, who called themselves the Delphi, the Medusae did indeed have genders. However, they could switch these at will, and often did. Iy, on the other hand, had been a female since the day she came into creation, and had not changed once. Like several members at the Kentauros Institute, she was liberal as far as the extermination of humans, even opposed it in fact. But her reasons were much more sinister. A born killer, Iy's hobby had always been hunting down humans and killing them in sport. Thus did she disagree with Eljira's plans, so all those who knew of her new position were baffled behind her motives. Most were sure she too would end up betraying the leader.

But what could be done even if she did? Iy was very well respected amongst the Medusae. Because of her alliance with Eljira, the enemies of the Leute (be they human or not) now had something new to fear. The Medusae were stronger, faster, and some even argued smarter. It was only a miracle that there were less than a hundred of them still around today, and there were only four other assassins of Iy's rank at large. Mostly, they kept to themselves, but who could tell these days?

Either way, it was Iy that Daara and Albeht feared now. She had an attitude, that was certain, and a constant need to be the center of attention. Several weeks ago, she had simply walked into their subterranean base in Rome. Just walked, their guards petrified by the thought of having to fight her. She had threatened them then, telling them that if they didn't evacuate the base they would all be killed.

The place had been empty by morning.

At first, the others questioned the Institute's relocation to the ruins of Troy on the Aegean coast. After all, it was only a short drive from Istanbul, the home base of Setsuna Meioh. But Daara, for once, was not worried. Trowa had said he would explain the situation to the rebel leader, and she was convinced that they had an ally in her. Most were skeptical, but then Albeht had argued that Eljira would not even dream of going after them when Meioh was right there instead. And when something happened to her, they would know to flee.

But now something was about to happen to her. To her, and to the former queen of the entire solar system, Serenity.

Two days before, Albeht and Daara had received a mocking message from Iy. She was in South Africa, planning to "visit" with Meioh and Serenity. And both Leute knew that when a Medusa visits a human, that human does not survive. Especially not when all the other members of Operation Daybreak were on various missions around the ESUN.

There was no way the Kentauros would help the women, even if they were the saviors the Earth would need to fight back against Eljira. Thus, the two Delphi had left Troy. Daara was now in Cape Town, with the intention of getting both Setsuna and Serenity out before Iy could kill them. Albeht was in Istanbul, setting up a safe house where all of them could hide out and contact the other members of Operation Daybreak.

Now the younger Delph was waiting, watching. Setsuna had moved the operations into the Drei Kreuz hotel, and as of that morning, both she and Serenity were still alive. But after a bit of well-timed eavesdropping, Daara learned that she was planning to leave for L5 that night. So if Iy was here and planning to kill both at once, it would be tonight. Daara was running out of time.

Currently, Daara was sitting by the pool reading _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_, a good book for the age group she appeared. One of .her targets was currently floating on her back, eyes closed peacefully and long gold tresses floating around her perfectly formed body. Daara frowned and thought a moment.

_That's Serenity? The one who allowed us to suffer for so long? She's…she's a child…_ That, of course, wasn't true. But between her small stature and youthful appearance, she looked like she couldn't be older than twenty. And yet, Daara could still remember those days…and they made her shiver. But the things that could lie in the future…a future where Eljira was in charge…

Daara didn't want to think about that either. Serenity had been neglectful. Eljira was just…wrong. The fact that he was willing to exterminate an entire species, one of the most populous ones in this entire section of the galaxy, was enough to prove that. It was not natural, not even in the eyes of a Leute.

In the middle of the pool, Serenity was eying the "little girl" on the lawn chair with a great deal of unease. After all, she hadn't spent the last several centuries hiding from the Leute for nothing. Not to mention that they had been responsible for Makoto's death, Rashid's death, Minako's captivity, and several attacks on her friends and family. Unfortunately, at the moment, there was only her and the Leute in the pool room, and no doubt she would be noticed if she left. The only good thing was that the alien hadn't confronted her yet, so it was most likely just spying on her. And as long as it was only spying…

The door to the pool room suddenly shut, and both human and Leute looked towards it only to find no one there. A split second later, Serenity heard a splash. Spinning around slowly, the water restricting her movements somewhat, she saw the Leute that had been sitting in the chair swimming towards her. Fear gripped her heart, and she began to swim for the ladder. But the Leute's body was much smaller and slimmer than hers, not to mention it was probably in much better shape than the former queen. So it was no surprise when she felt a tiny hand clamp onto her ankle and pull her back.

Serenity yelped a little and slipped underwater. The tiny hand pulled her up quickly, and she found herself face to face with the Leute.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Shh!" it hissed, looking around. It still appeared that they were alone. Putting its face close to Serenity's, Daara spoke in a hurried whisper. "You have to listen to me, and you have to trust me. I'm a friend; Trowa told you about me. Daara?"

"Daara?" Serenity blinked in surprise. She recalled the names vaguely, both Daara and Trowa. The man with the green eyes and red-brown hair…the one who reminded her of Mako-chan…of course. He and his partner (wife?) had "adopted" this Leute to learn their ways, only to find an ally instead of an enemy.

"We're not alone," Daara continued. "There's an assassin that's going to kill both you and Setsuna Meioh. And she's way stronger than any of you can expect. We need to get you both out."

"Setsuna's in trouble?" Serenity gasped.

"Shhh!" Daara snapped again. "Come on, I think she's in here—"

"Ding ding ding!" an amused voice replied. The two in the water looked to see a very feminine Medusa leaning against a fake palm, twirling a gun around her finger and wearing her trademark Cheshire Cat grin.

"Iy…" Daara murmured. "Shit…"

Iy pretended to look horrified at the curse. "Why, Daara! Using such language around the _Queen_! I thought you had more manners!"

The Delph suddenly bolted out of the water and retrieved its own gun from the backpack next to her chair. With an amazingly steady hand, Daara pointed it at Iy's chest. "I'm not going to let you kill her, Iy. I don't even understand why you want to. Since when did you become Eljira's new lap dog?"

To the surprise of both Serenity and Daara, Iy was not offended by the remark, but instead began to laugh. "Me? Eljira's lap dog? Oh dear sweet Daara…don't you get _any _news at all at that little institute of yours? Clearly not. Well, let's just say you're a little mixed up about who is the lap dog and who is the master here. Do you think I would have arranged for Aethrin to be executed just so I could have his position as an ass-kisser? Of course not! I simply got bored hunting down random humans one by one. Eljira and his retarded little vision of a holy war have given me the opportunity to get the _really_ "big fish," as the humans say. Like her," Iy inclined her head towards Serenity. "And he can't do a damn thing about it. See, the Delphi are all pretty much like you, Daara. Weak. Hell, look at who your leader is! No, I just decided I've had enough of this foolishness. I plan on getting as much recreation out of it that I can, and then I'm putting a stop to Eljira's idiotic 'rebellion'."

"I see…but you do realize there are two things you overlooked," Daara pointed out.

Now Iy frowned. "What?"

"Number One: One of your "big fish" has just gotten away. And Number Two—" The Delph didn't even bother to say it. Instead, it just pointed its gun at the overhead light fixture, fired, and ran for the door. Back by the pool, Daara could hear Iy crying out in pain as a shower of glass shards rained down from above. Shortly after, that was replaced by the sound of the glass door to the pool shattering with the impact of the bullet.

"Daara!" Serenity called out. She had taken refuge in a bathroom and was now holding the door open and her hand out to the Delph. Daara grabbed it and dashed in, slamming the door shut and locking it.

"That was her?" Serenity asked, pulling on a pair of sweatpants, sandals, and a tank top from her gym bag over her still dripping swimsuit (her towel was still at the pool, and that was the _last_ place she was going).

"Yeah…" Daara panted.

"And she's a Leute?"

"Yeah. A Medusa. They're a stronger breed than us. Delphi, that is. If _we_ have problems dealing with them, you humans are going to have to work like dogs to keep them from killing you. You're just lucky they're not all crazy like Iy is," Daara explained.

"But what do we do now? She'll find us in here eventually! And what about Setsuna?" Serenity cried.

"Just…relax…be quiet a moment…" Daara murmured, pressing its ear to the door. Sure enough, it could hear footsteps and gunshots making their way down the hallway towards them…and then beyond (though there were still some sickening thumps that must have been of bodies falling on the ground). Carefully, Daara unlocked the door, but kept its hand on the doorknob.

"All right, listen to me. Do you know where Setsuna is?"

"Yes. She'll be up in our hotel room, Number—"

"713. I know."

"You've been watching us."

"I didn't know when Iy would come."

"I see…"

Daara took a deep breath. "Okay. We are going to run to my room first. I have a passport and tickets for a flight to Istanbul. There's another ally there, Albeht Orrphi. Don't trust any other Leute besides the two of us, all right? If I can, I'm going to make sure I can get you on a taxi to the airport. Once there, you keep a low profile and just get on that plane. As far as I know, Iy is the only one after you, and she has always worked alone in the past, so I'm assuming she still does. As long as I keep her busy, you and Setsuna will be all right. But if something happens to me before you get in the taxi, you have to go yourself, okay? The flight number is 711 to Istanbul. Do whatever you have to get on board if I can't get you your ticket. Do you understand?"

Serenity nodded.

"Right. Once I've got you taken care of, I'll go back and get Setsuna. I have a feeling she's still quite capable of looking after herself," Daara remarked.

"She is," Serenity agreed.

"Okay…on the count of three…stay with me, okay?" Again, Serenity nodded. "One…two…THREE!"

The two burst out of the bathroom and automatically had to vault over the bloody body of a maid that had been left in front. Serenity was surprised at just how fast the short-legged little Leute could run as they dashed into the lobby, which also looked like a battle scene from some kind of gangster movie, and up the stairs. It was a relief that Daara's room was close, only on the second floor, and unadulterated.

The Delph opened her suitcase and pulled out a small envelope. "Here. There's $200 ESUN Dollars, your ticket and boarding pass, and the number you can use to reach Albeht. Also…" Pushing a green sweater to the side, she pulled out a small derringer-like firearm and a box of bullets. "Take this and use it when you need to." Serenity nodded and eyed it confusedly, trying to figure out how exactly it worked.

"Oh, she'll need to," Iy replied, stepping out from the bathroom. Her face and arms were cut and bleeding, and her smile was gone. "That was _not_ a nice trick to pull, Daara. Certainly not something I'd expect from a Kentauros flower-child like yourself."

"Serenity, go! The fire escape!" Daara screamed.

Iy let out a screech and pointed her gun. "I don't think so, Your Highness!"

But before she could fire a different shot went off. The Medusa gasped in surprise as a brighter spot of green blood blossomed on her shoulder, and Daara spun around and gasped in surprise to see Serenity holding the smoking gun.

"Sorry! I was just trying to see how it worked!" she cried.

"Don't be sorry! Run! I told you what to do, now do it!" Daara shouted.

"But what about you? And Setsuna?"

"I'll send her along after you! Now get the hell out of here, damn it!"

Serenity did as she was told, but not before shouting back one final thing. "Thank you, Daara!" With that, she jumped out the window, clutching the envelope to her chest and racing down the fire escape. Behind and above her, she could hear more shouts and gunshots, then horrible silence when she finally reached the ground. For one foolish moment, she stopped and looked up, sure that Iy would be on her trail.

But she was alone.

Running out to the street, she quickly hailed a cab. When the driver asked her where they were going, she told him the airport. All the while, she was constantly looking over her shoulder for any sign of the Medusa assassin. But while she saw Delphi aplenty, there was no sign of Iy. Or Daara.

Three hours later, she was flying several thousand feet over Cape Town, wondering what had become of Setsuna before drifting off to sleep.

**"So…tell me, Daara, **are they all obsessive human sympathizers like you at Kentauros? Or are you just 'special'?" Iy hissed angrily, clutching at her wounded arm and giving the Delph a vicious smile.

"Go to hell, Medusa bitch," Daara snapped back, pointing its gun. To its extreme discomfort, Iy was laughing again.

"You have a swearing problem that I don't like, Daara. Learned it from your human friends, no doubt. I'm simply not going to listen to it anymore."

She raised her gun so quickly that Daara could not have expected it had Iy's arm even been uninjured. But the shot caught it by surprise so quickly that it could do nothing as the bullet ripped through its chest and lodged itself in the wall behind it. Eyes widening in surprise, Daara stared up at the ceiling in shock.

"What the…how the hell…?"

And then, the Delph said nothing more.

Iy smiled, then picked up Daara's body and laid it on the bed. Rummaging through its suitcase, it found a second envelope similar to the one she had just given Serenity, and tucked it into her jacket pocket. "Nighty-night, Daara Mnymar," she smiled, then flicked off the lights and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Walking down the hallway, Iy made her way to her own hotel room, where she deposited both her gun and the envelope and removed her bloodstained clothing. Taking a quick shower, she managed to wash off most of the blood, the only serious wound being that bitch Serenity's gunshot. Really, what was Iy thinking? Giving a human a Satyr…a gun that packed the firepower of a rifle into a gun the size of a child's squirt gun…

Stepping out of the shower, Iy wrapped a towel around herself then went to her own suitcase. After a bit of rummaging, she retrieved a strange sort of knife with a very narrow blade, only about as wide as a pencil, and very sharp. Carefully, she inserted the tip into the gunshot wound, and began rummaging around for the slug. Any human in her situation would have likely passed out by now, and even an average Delph would be screaming in pain. But as a Medusa, literally the strongest humanoid race on the planet, she was only slightly wincing at the pain others might have called excruciating.

After a little while, she found the slug and pried it out. Rinsing the wound with water and then dabbing it with alcohol, she bandaged it neatly and put on a clean pink dress, white tights, and black mary-janes. After combing and blow-drying her hair, she tied a pink ribbon around it, then went back to her suitcase. Shoving aside all else, she now drew out her katana, and slung it around her back before exiting.

Walking down the hall, Iy entered the elevator and pressed the button for the seventh floor. When the doors opened, she made her way to room number 713 and knocked. Not surprisingly, the voice of Setsuna Meioh, sounding as calm as ever, answered.

"Come in."

She didn't look surprised to see the assassin when she entered. In fact, she greeted her almost congenially, as if the Medusa had come for tea instead of killing her.

"Hello, Iy."

"Hello, Setsuna," she unsheathed her katana and took several steps forward. "You know why I'm here, don't you?"

"Of course I do. You've come to kill me. Like you tried to do with Serenity," Setsuna replied. She was seated at a desk, bent over a piece of paper she was currently writing upon. Iy was somewhat insulted that even now, as she stood (or rather, sat) at the end of her life, Setsuna was putting paperwork over her own death.

"I'm not going to fail again. I am a Medusa. I am better than that," she snapped.

"Indeed you are," Setsuna replied, still not looking up. "I have no doubt that you will kill me. I don't have any intention of stopping you. But I would request that you allow me to just finish this one last bit of unfinished business."

"Oh? And why should I answer that request?"

"Why? Because you are a Medusa. You have honor, and you can respect your enemies. Assuming they do not make a fool of you. Daara paid very much for insolence, I hear," she remarked.

"Yes, that's correct," Iy replied. "Very well then, I will allow you to finish. But I would like to know why you plan on making this so easy. Perhaps you have reinforcements I missed?"

"Do you think so?" Setsuna asked. "The last time I checked, everyone besides Serenity and myself had left Cape Town."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone you need to be careful of," she answered. Adjusting the glasses on her face, she read over what was written on the paper. Seemingly satisfied, she sealed it in an envelope, and wrote something else on it. Standing up, she looked at Iy and held it up. "When you are finished, Iy, I'd like that you deliver this for me."

The Medusa stared at it. She could read many human languages, but the word (or words, she couldn't really tell) written upon the envelope was strange to her, like nothing she had seen before. She frowned. How was she supposed to deliver it?

Stupid question.

She'd just deliver it with the package.

The one Setsuna most likely knew about.

"Very well. I will do that for you, Setsuna Meioh. Because I can respect you as my enemy. In fact, I will be merciful, even though it is not my way."

"I thank you for that, Iy."

She set the envelope on the desk, then made her way around it to stand in front of the Medusa. Iy's hands gripped tighter on the katana's hilt, and she motioned for Setsuna to kneel.

"Do you have anything you want to say to your god, Setsuna?"

"No. I'll be with him soon. But there are some things I want to tell _you_, Iy."

At this, the Medusa raised her eyebrow. "Are there now? Very well. I'm listening."

"I want to tell you that even though you're about to kill me, you're going to be following shortly after. And so is Eljira. And eventually, so will every other Leute on this planet. It is simply not your place, Iy. It is a very sad thing that your world was destroyed, but that does not mean you may come to another and take it as your own. You will not survive here any better than humans would on another planet. Your kind has endured for many years, but Time is catching up to you, as is Fate, and you will be penalized for breaking the rules.

"I also wanted to tell you that you ought to make the best of the time you _do _have here. Humans are you best key to survival. Do as they do, and you will live longer. You have learned the basics, such as how to keep yourselves alive. But things like love…sacrifice…hope…faith…those are all things that are still beyond your kind. Perhaps if you can begin to grasp them, you might put off your destruction for a while, but I fear you won't even bother. Am I right?"  
Iy shrugged. "Most likely. You're right about all of that. But you see, Eljira's the only one who gives a damn about things like that. When my day comes, so be it. I still regret nothing I have done."

Setsuna smiled at her. "I see. A good way to be. Then perhaps you can pass my words onto Eljira."

"Perhaps," Iy agreed. "Is there anything else?"

"I love my husband, and I love my son, and I love Rini and Hotaru, and all of my friends, and my comrades. That is all I have to say."

"Very well then. Good bye, Setsuna Meioh."

"Good bye, Iy."

It was a swift cut as Iy brought the katana down across Setsuna's neck. Her head rolled a few inches, but was stopped by the masses of ivy-colored hair that she had swept away from her neck moments before it had been severed. Scarlet blood now stained the ivory carpet, but Iy took no notice. Instead, she picked up Setsuna's head by the hair and carried it into the bathroom. There, she found a complementary lighter and began to cauterize her neck. It took a long time, but eventually the blood stopped. After that, Iy washed the dead woman's hair in the sink, combing it carefully and then twisting it up into a bun.

Taking it back into the main room, she found a box beneath the desk and placed the severed head inside. On the crown of Setsuna's skull, Iy placed her letter in the strange language. Then she paused a moment, looking at the top of the woman's head. Carefully, she cut a lock of hair from it with her katana, then braided and knotted it into a bracelet which she slipped around her wrist.

Sitting down at the desk Setsuna had been sitting at only twenty minutes before, Iy took out a fresh piece of paper and picked up the pen Setsuna had been using. It only took her a minute to write the short note:

_To whom it may concern:_

_I killed her, and I still regret nothing._

_-Iy_

This she folded up and sealed in a second envelope, placing it with the first. Finally satisfied, she sealed up the box and addressed it, before carrying it out of the room, leaving Setsuna's headless body still-bleeding on the floor.


End file.
